Halfa Life
by Dream Trance
Summary: Dying is a delicate process. It's painful, scary, and soul-wrenching. But if it's interrupted and you're saved...what happens to the part of you that isn't? AU! Not DfxDp, sorry. They're like brothers.
1. Chapter 1

Hey! Yeah, I'm a newbie but don't hold that against me! I'm good at grammar and I want to be a writer when I grow up (completely).

This'd be my first fan fic, but I have done some original stories. That being said, I expect criticism, but flames are a bit over the top. Just let me know (gently) if you don't like something. I'm more likely to fix it then. As a striving author, it's my duty to make my stories the best they can be!...hehe lol.

Yeah…here's the story.

* * *

Prologue Part 1

Halfa Born

"And another--What in the Ghost Zone! What is that?!"

"A ghost baby, obviously," I replied, smirking a little as the observant's one eye twitched. The two had come to my "lair" to scold me on my actions concerning an old man on his death bed. I felt that I had enough right to annoy them back.

"That's not what I meant, Clockwork," said he with the twitching eye. Only years (and I mean _many _years) of practice kept me from smirking further. Of course I knew what he meant. He was talking about the sudden vision we all received when the newly made ghost/newborn baby forming before us began to flicker.

I looked more closely at the forming ghost. Like all ghosts, he (for the vision showed us it was a boy) began as a green cloud of some sort and slowly began to take shape as his soul continued to disconnect from his human body. At the moment he had no defining features, just some silky white hair (color would come later in the process) and a basic newborn-human-baby body structure. His eyes weren't open, instead squeezed shut with a pained expression. Also normal. Being torn from your body was the most painful experience. Most ghosts screamed in pain, but most ghosts had been connected for longer than a few months and were more…attached.

Still, it wasn't too uncommon to have a baby ghost. What was uncommon was how he kept flickering in and out of the ghost spectrum. I knew what this meant and my vision just confirmed that they were going to succeed, for the humans were bringing the newborn back to life.

"He'll become a halfa," the female of the pair stated. I'm sad to say I know the observants so well by now I can tell what gender they are. How distressing.

The first observant growled in annoyance. "We have enough of those already."

A halfa was a soul that had one foot in the living and another in the dead. Or, in other words, a split soul with one half of itself living as a human and the other half walking amongst the dead as a ghost.

They had become more common as humans learned more and more about medicine and revival. For a halfa to be, they have to have died and been brought back to life before their ghost could finish forming, a.k.a when the soul disconnected fully from the body.

The halfas are generally pitied or picked on by the other ghosts because, with half their soul missing, they're terribly weak and continuously feel incomplete. They grow at the same rate as their human counterparts and are more often than not drawn to their human side.

Many saw their human selves as weighing them down and grow resentful of them since the human half doesn't have the problems that the ghost side does. For them to haunt their human selves was expected.

But what I saw and the observants obviously missed was that this halfa would be…different. In time.

I wished to see how these two's lives were going to go. Of course though, the observants would insist _I _go and stop the humans from unwittingly creating a halfa. They most likely saw it as doing the two a favor. It was time to do some fast talking…of a sort.

"Clockwork--" the male began, drawing himself up.

I didn't let him start. I turned around to my orb/screen and mad the image of the halfa-to-be's human self come in. At the moment, doctors and nurses were rushing about in seeming chaos around the baby's still body. The parents of the boy watched them with wide, tear-filled eyes. The mother was gripping the father's arm so tight her knuckles were white. Tears trickled down her face as the doctors gave another attempt at reviving him, causing the ghost baby to fade for a second again.

"You wish for me to stop the revival," I stated in an almost challenging voice.

There was silence for a moment with the only noise coming from the doctors' and nurses' frantic voices. I presumed the observants were sharing a look. They did that a lot.

"If he lives," the female finally began.

"If he lives, he'll be like all the other halfas we let have a second chance," I finished. Apparently I wasn't just their messenger boy, but also their conscience. What an afterlife. "Or he may start a new trend." I forced myself to keep a straight face so they wouldn't think I put a cryptic message in there. I wanted them to think I was saying that, as a newborn, he wouldn't be as resentful for being a halfa and may pass that attitude on. I was actually hoping that was so, anyway.

They were quiet again. Finally, they said in unison, "Then you will be the ghost's caretaker, Clockwork."

I did something then that I haven't done since I first became who I am now. I gaped at them. Embarrassing. My jaw dropped and everything.

I admit, the new ghost's future intrigued me a great deal and that hasn't happened in a while either, but to _raise _the boy! That is just insane. What do they think I am? I've never raise a kid. I've never even held a baby before!

"But I--" I tried to begin. Unfortunately, the baby's body chose that moment to start living again which meant…

"WAAHH!" both the human and the newly formed ghost baby cried.

My usually stoic features have by now completely been lost. I winced at the joined vocal chorus. One was bad but two was defining. Especially since they were in perfect synchronization.

The two observants looked at me smugly before both saying over the wailing, "Good luck, Clockwork. You'll be needing it." They left then, leaving me with a floating and wailing ghost baby.

I sighed and turned back to the screen for instructions on what to do. The doctors had just handed the very much alive baby back to his mother. I looked at the baby over my shoulder. Apparently, holding him was a necessity. That shouldn't be too hard.

I floated over to him and awkwardly cradled him in my arms with my right hand holding up his head. I looked back up to see how the mother was holding him to make sure I had it right. A few adjustments had to be made and I had to hold him against me. It's the closest I've been to anyone.

I studied the boy more closely as he began to calm down. He didn't need to eat like his other self. He was most likely crying because of the new feeling of being a ghost. Or he didn't like that he was missing half of himself. Maybe both.

Slowly, he and his human self began to fall asleep as I hesitantly began to rock him back and forth. As time went on, they'd stop copying each other as much as the separation became older.

I studied the baby in my arms in wonder as his face began to take on a peaceful, content look. He did indeed look a bit like a halfa. He had mostly white hair, but the tips were midnight black like his human half's hair. His glow wasn't too bright, but then again, he was a baby ghost so a glow wasn't really expected.

The peaceful look was what really marked him as a halfa, however. Peace was a very rare thing for us ghosts. Usually you only found peace as a ghost when you're ready to move on. You're only held back as a ghost _because _you can't find that peace. Halfas didn't have that problem since it was the human counterparts that kept them grounded. But they were usually too unhappy with their status to find peace.

I smiled down at the boy. I began to think this wouldn't be so bad.

A few hours later, I wasn't so sure.

* * *

Maddie smiled down at her sleeping baby boy. His silky black hair was already a mess and she had a feeling it wouldn't ever be neat unless she made it so. It was a mother's intuition. He was taking in slow deep breaths, his mouth open slightly and a peaceful look on his face.

Like all mothers, Maddie believed he was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

And she had almost lost him.

She brought him up higher and rested her forehead against his. A few tears trickled down her cheeks. She was so very relieved and almost giddy with relief and joy that the doctors had been able to save him.

"Mommy?"

Maddie looked up, another smile on her face as she saw her two-year old daughter Jasmine--Jazz for short. "Hey, Sweetie."

Jazz smiled back and walked confidently to her mother's hospital bed. The nurse who had brought her smiled at Maddie before turning to leave. Jazz crawled onto the bed and peered at her new baby brother. Her face wrinkled a little. "He looks really squishy," she commented.

"Of course, he was just born yesterday. Give him time."

"He's…so tiny."

"That's why he'll need us to protect him."

Jazz looked up at Maddie, eyes wide. "Us…_I_ protect him?"

"Yes, sweetie. He'll need you the most. When he gets older, he won't come to your father or I. He'll go to you when he needs help." Maddie didn't much like that thought, but she knew how teenagers grew distant…

Jazz's eyes got bigger and she beamed at her little brother. She leaned down further and kissed him softly on the forehead. "He can count on me."

"Maddie! I—" Jack came ran into the room excitedly. He quieted down, though, when Jazz put a finger to her lips and shushed him, already stepping up to be her brother's protector.

"He's sweeping," she whispered.

Jack smiled sheepishly and walked over to his wife, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they looked down at their new child. He'd forgotten what he'd been so excited about as he gazed at his son. Already he was planning what they could do together. Ghost hunting, fishing, ghost hunting, eating fudge, ghost hunting, inventing, ghos—

"What's his name again, Mommy?" Jazz asked.

"His name's Daniel, but we'll call him Danny," Maddie replied, smiling down at Danny.

"Danny?" Jazz echoed, testing the name out. As if he were answering, Danny began to stir. His eyes opened and stared back at them curiously. For a millisecond, anyway. His eyes squeezed shut again and tears came out of his eyes as he wailed loudly.

"Wha's wrong wit him?" Jazz asked in alarm, her eyes wide.

"Nothing's wrong, Jazzy," Jack answered. "He just needs some alone time with mommy. C'mon!" He scooped Jazz up and put her on his broad shoulders. Jazz squealed happily and wrapped her arms around her father's head. "They're giving away free fudge down stairs!" With that they ran out of the room, leaving Maddie alone with her son once again.

She looked back down at him. Hearing him now, you'd never think he'd almost died yesterday because he couldn't breathe.

She released another relieved sigh and got ready to stop his crying.

* * *

I know. I suck at doing "mushy." I'll get better.

Anyway, I don't want to spoil the story, but it's going to focus on Danny's and Phantom's friendship. I've always liked the idea.

Sorry pitch pearl lovers, but this one's not one of those. I like some of them (sometimes, it's still a little weird), but I have no plan to write one.

This chapter's not much, but then first chapters usually aren't. I've gotten four chapters done and I can assure you, it gets better.

One last thing. I'm sorry if I offended anyone's religion or implying babies shouldn't be saved. Not my intention at all! heh, it just came out that way.

I hope you all like it.

Please leave me a review!


	2. To be a Halfa

**I didn't get any reviews, but it hasn't even been a day and it is only the prologue. I hadn't really expected any. It's a bit soon to be updating, but I want to get the whole prologue out of the way. I had them originally together, but it was twelve pages without skiping paragraphs, so... **

**You get to see Danny and Phantom in this chapter, though. Yay! They're eight years old and it's AU, but I still want them to be IC. Let me know how I've done!**

**Oh yeah. I don't own Danny Phantom. Thanks for reminding me! **

* * *

Prologue Chapter 2

To be a Halfa

"Clockwork?" a small voice called from behind me. There was a hesitant tremble in it that I wasn't used to. The halfa boy was standing behind me as I tinkered with my staff.

"You wish to know what a halfa is," I stated. I didn't need to wait or ask. I knew what he wanted to ask. I am the Master of Time, after all. I'd known this was coming. "You sure you want to know?"

I admit, I'm a bit nervous of telling him. I may seem a bit indifferent at times, but even I can't help but become attached to the boy after raising him for eight years. I haven't told him what he is in that time. I'm afraid of how he'll take it.

"Yeah," he replied. "Aragon was talking about them at his court."

"That's _Prince_ Aragon, little one," I corrected. No, I didn't give him a name. It's custom for a ghost to pick his own name. The boy, however, can't decide on one. After changing it so many times, I stopped using them. I knew what name he'd eventually stick with (if my predicted future came to be) so I didn't really care what names he tried out. However, he is using Dan at the moment, and that greatly amuses me.

He ignored my correction. "He said a lot of mean things about them."

"Oh?" I inquired, tinkering with my staff. "What did he say?"

"Um…something about them not being allowed in his kingdom because they're too infer-inferer--"

"Inferior?"

"Yeah."

"Is that all he said?"

"No. But the rest was mostly name-calling."

"Hmm. Do you think halfas are inferior?"

"Huh? How can I? I've got no clue what they are! Why do you think I asked you?"

"You didn't ask Prince Aragon?"

"No. He was…um, that one word you used."

"I've used many words."

"Urgh, you know which one I mean!"

I smiled and finally turned to face him. He was still wearing the cloak I made him wear when he went out. It wasn't anything special, really. It was just a long black cloak and hood, unfortunately. I _had_ tried to decorate it in my style, but the boy had given me the strangest face before getting a new one.

Other than marking him as being under my protection, I insisted he wear it so others wouldn't know him for a halfa. I send him on errands from time to time and those errands sometimes require him to order other ghosts around. They would very unlikely listen to him if they knew him for what he was. He's an enigma in the Ghost Zone. No one but myself and the observants know how powerful he really was. The ghosts give him a wide birth because they believed that I would pick a strong ghost for my apprentice. Silly, really.

At the moment, the hood was down and you could clearly see how his hair wasn't quite right for a ghost's. Most of it was white, and that was semi normal. The problem was that about an inch of the tips were pure black. That showed that he hadn't completed his "forming".

The hood also hid his eyes in shadow so no one could see how alive his eyes were. They'd have to be pretty close to tell, I suppose, but I'd rather not take such a chance.

"The word you're looking for is biased," I answered him finally.

He nodded, his messy, mismatched hair falling into his eyes. Hmm, he'll need a haircut. "Yeah. He was biased."

I took a figurative deep breathe. "And you don't have these 'biased' feelings towards them?"

He shrugged. "Not really. Aragon's not smart."

I had to keep myself from smiling. This kid would probably find a way to insult Pariah Dark to his face and sound as if he were talking about the weather.

I was looking forward to it.

"Maybe, But don't say that to his face. I'm not so sure I'd be able to get you away unpunished."

"I know that, Clockwork." He shivered, a human trait he didn't realize he was showing. "I still remember what happened with Skulker."

"And yet you keep making these comments." He smiled innocently at me. '_He'll never learn his lesson,_' I thought in amusement. _'I just hope this confidence won't desert you after you learn what you are.'_ "All right. Tell me what all you know about them."

He frowned, getting annoyed, no doubt. I have that effect on people, even those I've raised, apparently. "I don't know anything, Clockwork, that's why I asked you. You're the Master of Time. Why're you even asking?"

"There's nothing wrong with asking," I replied with a smile. I studied him for a moment. "A halfa is a soul that has been split. One halfa lives as a human and the other 'lives' as a ghost."

The boy's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "That's possible? How does it happen?"

"To put it in simple terms, a soul becomes a halfa when they are brought back to life halfway through the forming process."

He frowned slightly. "Why?"

I sighed. "It's a bit difficult to explain to an eight-year old."

The halfa stuck his tongue out at me for a moment before getting serious again. "Why does Aragon say they're inferer?"

"Inferior," I corrected. "And he sees them as inferior because they're not as strong as 'true ghosts'. Can you guess why?"

His face scrunched up in thought. "Because… they….um…" He sighed. "No."

"It's because they only have half their soul so they can't make as much soul-energy or, as you would call it, ecto-energy. Some ghosts also see the ghost of the halfas as being weak because of their human half."

The eight year old ghost frowned at me. "How is that a weakness for them?"

"It's not really. But they think it is because they can use the 'weaker' human half against the ghost half. If the human half gets seriously hurt, so will the ghost."

"Oh. So that's it? They're weaker because they have to protect their human half and they have a lower ecto-energy level than most ghosts?"

I smiled. "Mostly. But they also aren't very malevolent. Well for the most part. They usually hate their human halves because they're jealous of them. Their human selves aren't weaker than other humans."

"They aren't?" the boy questioned, tilting his head to the side.

"Not really, no. Humans don't rely on soul-energy so they can be as strong as they wish."

"Sounds like the ghost half lucks out."

I frowned slightly. I don't want him to think in that way. It wasn't true and I wanted this boy to be more considerate and compassionate towards his human half than others of his kind. "Maybe. It really depends on the halfa and how you look at it."

The boy frowned back at me. "But if they can be as—"

"It's not all about strength, young one," I interrupted. I didn't do this often, but I wanted him to get all the information before making an opinion. "You remember that humans are more emotional than ghosts?" He nodded. "Well, humans rely on emotions like ghosts rely on ecto-energy."

"So they have weaker emotions?" he asked.

"No, not at all." He cocked his head in confusion. I mentally sighed. I was only succeeding in confusing him. "They are _more_ emotional."

"And that's….bad…" he questioned, drawing out the word.

"That's what I mean by how you look at it."

"…So the human halves are constantly like PMSing girls?"

I blinked at him and my eyes got wide. Why couldn't I keep my mask on with this kid? "What?! No! How do you even now about that?"

He snorted. "Are you kidding? You send me on errands to Johnny almost every day and you expect me to _not_ know what he means when he calls Kitty a PMSing bi—"

"Yes, yes! Very unobservant of me." He smirked a little at that. "So don't use that word." He frowned. I suddenly felt like one of those human parents trying to tell their children why they shouldn't swear. I was trying to tell him that, but I don't see myself as his parent.

"Why can't I say bit—"

I groaned and he stopped. I'm not sure _why_ he can't say it exactly. I just knew that an eight year old shouldn't be saying things like that. Finally I came up with a reasonable reason, although, it probably wasn't a solution. "It's a very strong word usually used in anger, right?"

He frowned a bit more. "Yeah, mostly. Johnny only really uses it to describe Kitty when they've gotten into a fight."

"Well, if you use it for everyday sayings, then when you are angry with somebody or something, people won't take your anger as seriously even when you use those words. Do you understand?"

"I…guess. But I thought we were talking about just one word. And why overact about it?"

"I wasn't overreacting." He snorted quietly. I wish I could break that habit of his. "And there are other such words like that one."

"And they are?"

"…We're getting off track." He rolled his eyes, a small, mischievous smile on his lips. "We were talking about the human halfa's feeling, correct?"

"Yup."

"And you thought they were like…over emotional girls."

His eyes twinkled in amusement. "Yeah."

"Well, they aren't. They just have deeper feelings."

He cocked his head to the side. "Isn't that the same?"

I sighed. "Forget about it. You're too young to understand."

He glared slightly at me. "Well maybe if you weren't so confusing, I would be old enough."

I began messing with my staff. I wasn't about to start an argument with an eight year old. "Did I answer all your answers about halfas?"

"No." I raised an eyebrow at him. "What? I have more now."

I nodded. "Ask away then."

"Um…are these halfas ghosts…different from other ghosts?"

"I believe I just answered that."

He shook his head. "No. I mean besides that."

I looked at him curiously. "Are you implying something?"

"Well, uh…" he stuttered, looking nervous again. I wonder if he's come to the conclusion by himself.

I floated there for a while, letting him think everything through. "Is there something troubling you?"

He bit his lip. "Can you just answer the question?"

I shrugged and sighed. "Yes, there are other defining features for halfa ghosts. They age alongside their human halves; the human and ghost look like mismatched twins; the ghost has a kinder disposition; they sometimes look unfinished in their forming process; they generally feel incomplete and lonely; and they act more human-like."

He looked down to the left, a troubled expression on his face. I sighed. If he didn't already figure it about before this, I'm sure he knows now.

"Am…Am I a…a halfa?" he asked hesitantly, finally looking up. There was determination in his eyes which made me smile inwardly.

I stared back down at him, letting the question hang in the air for dramatic effect. Finally, I nodded. "Yes, you are, littling."

His eyes widened slightly and he looked back down at his hands. He bit his lip.

I turned back around to face my screen. I waved my staff in front of it and an image of Amity Elementary's playground came to life. I didn't zoom in yet. I didn't want to influence the boy's decision.

"W-why didn't you tell me before?" he asked me.

I didn't turn back around. "Because how you take this information will determine what becomes of you. It's too important for me to just blurt out. I wanted you to realize it on your own."

"And if I hadn't?"

"I would have told you before you turned fourteen."

"Why fourteen?"

I didn't answer and silence overcame us again.

Finally, after five minutes of quiet (which, strangely enough, I found uncomfortable), the boy asked hesitantly, "Wha…What's my human half like?"

I smiled, relaxing. The future I saw when he started to become a halfa is that much closer to coming true. I waved him over to my side and pointed to the screen.

* * *

Dan gave his mentor an odd look before standing beside him. Clockwork could be…very confusing sometimes. He usually avoided giving direct answers. Dan was a bit surprised he'd even answered most of his questions.

As for the results of those questions…well, Dan wasn't incredibly surprised to find out he really was a halfa. He'd had thoughts that he was different from the other ghosts for a long time now. When Aragon began talking about halfas, he'd gotten a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. Getting it confirmed did throw his world spinning for a bit, but…well, he did suspect it.

How he felt about being a halfa was…a bit harder to pin point. He decided he wanted to see how his other was before he made up his mind. After all, Clockwork had seemed to be pointing in that direction. He was naturally manipulative. Dan didn't think he even realized he was trying to steer him in his preferred direction…

The screen began zooming in and he refocused his attention back on it, eager to see his other self. At the moment, the screen showed a school's playground from a bird's eye view, but it was getting closer to the ground. As it neared, Dan saw human kids running around and playing. He snorted at some of the other kids' ridiculous antics. Why would anyone climb up a ladder just to slide back down a minute later?

He searched among the human children, trying to find the boy who would look like him. He couldn't find the other boy, though.

He was about to ask Clockwork if he was even supposed to be looking for his human twin, but clockwork spoke up before he had to. "He's in the oak tree."

Dan leaned in closer as the screen zoomed in on the weird, wooden tree quite a ways away from the repetitive slides.

Finally, he spotted him.

They were the same height and had the same facial expressions, but the boy in the tree didn't look _exactly_ like the ghost boy in Clockwork's tower. Even so, they were incredibly close.

His sky blue eyes had a lively sparkle in them that Dan only saw in himself. It must have been a halfa thing because he never saw any of the other humans in Clockworks viewing-thing with that same spark. Near death experience, he supposed.

His hair was a bit shorter than Dan's and it was _all_ black as midnight, unlike Dan's own hair. However different, though, both boys' hair seemed to sit the same way: messy and unruly. They even had the same hair style. Dan bet Clockwork had something to do with that.

Their skin was different, too. His was darker and looked roughed up. Dan was a ghost and ghosts had healing abilities so their skin always remained as soft or as rough as when they died. In Dan's case, almost baby soft since he had been a baby when he became a ghost.

The human boy wore a white t-shirt with a red oval and red linings, baggy jeans, and falling-apart red sneakers. Dan wasn't an expert on Earth conditions such as gravity and friction, but he was pretty sure that those weren't the best wardrobe choices when it came to climbing trees. The tear his shirt had received was probably proof of that.

"Get down here, Fenton, or are you too much of a chicken?!" a voice called from below Dan's look-alike. Said human boy looked down around the branch he was currently resting on. The screen pulled out a bit so the two ghosts could get a better look.

Below the tree were four very muscular boys, all of which were staring up at the boy in the tree. The blonde, who looked like the leader of the group, was currently smirking at the taunt he'd just thrown.

"How can I be the chicken, Dash, when I'm the one brave enough to climb a tree while you're too scared to even try and catch me?" the boy in the tree taunted back.

Dan smiled. That sounded like something he'd say in a situation like that. The blond boy, Dash, was obviously stronger than "Fenton" in the tree, but as long as Fenton stayed in the tree, there wasn't any way for Dash to hurt him for mouthing off.

Dash wasn't as amused by the taunt as Dan was, however. His answer to this was to turn beet red (something Dan found very funny) and to storm over to the tree. He jumped up for the first branch, but missed and fell back down, landing wrong and falling backwards. His groupies rushed over to help him back up while Fenton tauntingly let himself hang upside down from the branch he was on, using only his legs to stay up.

"Clumsy much, Dash?" Fenton asked with a smirk as he started to swing back and forth.

Dash growled and was about to make another attempt, but stopped when he heard laughter coming from behind the tree next to the one Fenton was in.

The view moved slightly so Dan and Clockwork could see a black haired girl with violet eyes laughing at Dash. She had on such a bright and cheerful dress that Dan gagged.

Dash stomped her way. The girl was either too stupid or very brave because she neither stopped laughing nor made her escape. Up in the tree, Fenton had righted himself and was now crawling along the branches so he could crossover to the girl's tree.

"What are you laughing at, _Samantha_?" Dash asked menacingly.

The girl stopped laughing instantly and her right eye twitched before she smirked at Dash. "Just you, falling down," she replied simply.

Dash growled low in his throat, cracking his knuckles. "Is that so? Well since I can't reach Fenton, I'll just have to take a volunteer substitute." He grabbed her arm before she could pull away, causing her to gasp in pain and surprise. "Hello sub."

Dan saw Fenton tense. He stood up and yelled, "Leave her alone!"

Dan gapped as Fenton jumped down onto Dash, causing the bigger boy to let go of "Samantha" (who quickly ran off) and fall to the ground. Fenton hurriedly got to his feet as the three remaining boys rushed forwards. Fenton somehow managed to dodge their kicks and punches and was about to follow Samantha's example, when Dash all of a sudden kicked his legs out from under him. Fenton fell face first into the dirt. He didn't stay down long, though. He rolled to the side as fast as he could just as Dash made to grab his shirt. Fenton got on his feet and into a seemingly practiced fighting stance.

Dan looked questioningly at Clockwork and was about to ask him about it, but, like usual, his mentor predicted the question and answered, "This isn't the first time he's had to deal with bullies. Your mother taught him some self-defense, though he rarely sees the need to use it. He's a bit of a pacifist."

"But Dash is stronger than him. Shouldn't he run away?"

"Where can he run?"

By this point, the four bullies had surrounded Fenton. He looked like an ant compared to them.

"He can't take them on his own," Dan insisted, frowning at the screen.

"No," Clockwork agreed, "but that doesn't mean he's just going to stand and take it."

As Dan watched Fenton try to defend himself, he slowly smiled. Fenton wasn't weak. He had a worthy human half.

"Is his name really Fenton?" he asked his mentor. He winced slightly as his twin received a blow to his face. He instantly retaliated with a swift kick to the shin.

"Not exactly. That's his last name. His first name is Daniel, although he prefers Danny. Danny Fenton." He smiled down at Dan as said halfa let out an exasperated sigh.

"I guess I'll find a new name. How about Bill?"

* * *

Danny ducked a punch to the face and tackled Kwan down. He squirmed out of his grasp just in time for Dash, Brad, and Jared to miss him and get their fallen comrade. Danny backed away until his back ran into the tree that had previously protected him.

The bullies gathered around, glaring murder as he tried to gasp in two tons of air. Sweat covered his body, making his hair and clothes cling irritatingly to his skin. His arms and legs were shaking from the effort and he was sure he'd pass out any second. His training sessions with his mother had never been this tough.

Worst was, the four bullies were barely breathing hard. Granted, Danny had done all the quick actions while they'd mostly just fallen down. Still, he couldn't help but feel his confidence sink a little. At least he'd managed to return some of the bruises he'd acquired…then again, it looked as if this just made them angrier.

Dash stepped in front of the group. He smashed his right fist into his left palm, continuing the action by cracking his knuckles. "Looks like you're Fentoast, Fenton." He smirked at his own lame joke.

Danny couldn't help it. He rolled his eyes. _Could he get any stupider?_ Dash pulled his fist back. _This is gonna hurt._ He closed his eyes tight.

"Stop right there, Mr. Baxter!"

Danny cracked one eye open. Mrs. Carlson, their third grade teacher, was walking up to all of them with an angry look on her face. Trotting to keep up with her was the girl Danny had saved. She gave him a hesitant smile. He blinked before doing the same.

Mrs. Carlson came to stand between Danny and the bullies, hands on her hips. "What is the meaning of this?"

Dash and his goons had gotten fearful expressions on their faces when Mrs. Carlson had first called out and were practically shaking now. She was the one teacher who didn't take kindly to bullying at all, no matter who the bullies were. "Well?"

Dash gulped. "Um, well, you see, Mrs. Carlson, Fen—I mean, Danny here climbed the oak tree over there, and I—that is we, um, were trying to get him down. And then he insulted us," he glanced at the girl, "and she started laughing so I went to ask her what she was laughing at. Then Danny jumped on me and…um…"

Mrs. Carlson turned to Danny. "Is that true?"

Danny licked his lips nervously. "Yes, but there's more to it than that!"

The teacher nodded at him to tell his side of the story. He smiled in relief. That was the great thing about this one; she never just heard one version. Danny didn't want to think about what would happen to him and Dash's other favorites when they got out of Mrs. Carlson's class/grade.

Taking a deep breath, Danny begun, "I did climb up the tree, but I did that because I accidentally knocked his lunch tray down at lunch and he wanted revenge. I insulted him because he insulted me first. The girl laughed because Dash tried to climb the tree but fell down on his butt. I jumped on him then because he was threatening her…and I was trying to defend myself just now."

Mrs. Carlson looked down at the girl who nodded. She sighed and put a hand to her forehead. "You're story matches better with Samantha's—" the girl gave her a brief glare "—than Dash's, but I'll still have to punish you, too."

"But—"

"You provoked Dash and then 'attacked' him, even if it was to defend someone else. I'll have to talk to your parents." She faced the bullies. "And as for you four, I want you to come with me to the office. Now."

Danny let himself slide along the trunk until he hit the ground as soon as the five had disappeared inside the school. He concentrated on breathing deeply to calm his heart down.

He looked up when a shadow covered him. Samantha was looking down at him, looking like she wanted to say something but didn't know what to say.

Danny decided he should help her out. He smiled. "Thanks for getting Mrs. Carlson. I was about to get my butt kicked.

She smiled back, relaxing more. "Actually, it looks like you already have."

He blinked at her. "I don't look that bad, do I?"

She chuckled. "You look like you got into a fight with a bear in a thorn bush."

He groaned, his head falling into his hands. "My mom's gonna kill me!"

"Maybe she won't notice the black eye."

"I have a black eye?!"

She must have found his panic very amusing because she started laughing. Danny didn't see her often, but when he did, she was rarely laughing.

He frowned. "Gees, I help you and I get laughed at."

She smiled down at him again. "Ah, stop your pouting. I'm not making fun of ya. And thank you for saving me, though I could have saved myself."

He blinked then glared at her. "I'm not _pouting_!"

She laughed again. "Yeah you were!" Her laughter was contagious and Danny soon joined in. When they finally stopped, Samantha held out her hand to help Danny to his feet.

"Anyway, I'm Sam. Sam Manson," she said.

"Sam? I thought it was—"

"If you know what's good for you, you won't call me _that_," she interrupted, glaring at him.

He starred back at her for a moment before smiling. "Alright. I won't as long as you don't call me Daniel. It's Danny."

She smiled and nodded. She opened her mouth to say something else, but she was interrupted by an ear-splitting wail.

"SAMMY-Kins!!"

Sam's mouth dropped open in horror and her pale face became very red. Danny leaned a bit to the side so he could see around Sam and to whoever was calling her.

A very brightly dressed woman was walking quickly over to them from the school. She wore a bright pink dress and white high heels. Long, white gloves reached up to her elbow. Her strawberry blonde hair was bushed up on top of her head. She was obviously very rich since she was wearing a lot of jewelry.

Danny looked back at Sam who had gone from being bright red to being ghostly pale. He smiled a little nervously. The lady was giving him a severe look-over as she advance on them.

"Over-protective mom?" he asked.

She refocused on him. "More like overbearing. Look what she makes me _wear_!"

Danny smiled sympathetically. "Yeah, it is a little…uh, bright."

"Ya think? I like _dark_ colors like purple and _black_. Why can't they understand that?!" She bit her lip, realizing she'd just yelled at him. "Sorry, I—"

"It's okay," he interrupted, shrugging. "I get it."

She looked back behind her. She groaned. "You'd better go. I don't think my mother approves of your 'appearance'."

Danny also looked at her and nodded. He walked a few steps away before turning back around. "Will…will I be seeing you later?"

Sam starred at him with wide eyes before nodding. "Yeah! I'll see you tomorrow at school."

Danny smiled and ran back into the school.

* * *

**Clockwork's not going to be coming back in first person after this. I'm relieved. I hate first person, but he didn't sound in character in third. Maybe later.**

**I had another different scene for the prologue when they were younger, but it didn't turn out right. It was too fluffy. So after this, I go into actual chapters with the story moving along instead of seeming so filler-ish. Infodumpy maybe. Well, please leave a review. I want to know if anyone likes it.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Portal Crossing

****

Thank you for reviewing! It really means a lot to me :D

**Nope. This ain't a story where Danny and Phantom fall in love. The closest they'll get is brotherly. And that's if they can get over their halfa differences. There will however be implied DxV and DxS in this chapter. You'll see ;) It's very small.**

**I wish I could have kept them as kids, but that's not what the story was about, so I had to make 'em grow up. I liked them being eight too. Maybe I can make some oneshots...  
****I actually came up with this idea by listening to Two Worlds from Tarzan (none of 'em are mine. That's annoying...) I was half asleep and just trying to imagine Danny Phantom into the song. You might see it when you listen to it. It's ****still a good song even without the movie behind it ^-^**

**I do not own Danny Phantom. Trust me on this.**

Chapter 1  
Portal Crossing

Danny sighed as he glanced up at the clock for the thirtieth time since the hour began. He stopped spinning his pencil and let his head drop down hard on the desk. The loud noise and pain caused a break in his boredom.

"Head up, Mr. Fenton," Mr. Lancer called, not looking up from the boring book he was reading to the class.

Danny groaned, but brought his head up. He let it rest on his hand as he began twirling his pencil on the table again. He had fifteen more minutes of torture by boredom before school finally let out. Not that that would really help anything. He'd just go home and be bored there.

He glanced at the clock again. Fourteen minutes to go. He sighed.

He could pay attention to what the teacher was trying to teach them, but he already had an A in English and he could take a break from working hard. At least for a little while.

He almost let his head fall again, but thought better of it when Lancer took that second to look up and give him a "you-better-not" look before looking back at his book.

Danny blinked. _Talk about sixth sense. _Then he smiled absently. _If I had that I'd finally be able to avoid Dad's "ghost moments"… or Dash's "homicidal" rage. _He snorted. _If you could even call it that. Like getting stuffed into a locker could be classified as homicide._

Another glance at the clock. Eleven minutes. He groaned.

He was about to look out the window he was sitting by when a note landed on his desk. He looked up to see Sam smiling at him. He smiled back before opening the note. There was only one word on it, but Danny could read all that was implied in it.

(Sam's **_replies_**; Danny's _'replies'.)_

_**Bored?**_

'_Is it that obvious?' _he wrote back. He tossed it back to her.

_**About as much as a flying mallet.**_

'_Gee, thanks for your honesty.' _

_**Any time.**_

'_Aren't you bored?'_

_**Now I'm not. Someone to talk to solves all boredom illnesses.**_

'_Depends on who you talk to.'_

_**Good point. Paulina would bore me to hell.**_

'…'

_**She's a shallow witch Danny.**_

'…_A very pretty shallow witch.'_

_**Urgh, men (you better not smile, it's not a compliment)**_

'_You love us.'_

**_No, I put up with you (and I told ya not to smile!)_**

'_We do the same with you (or most girls, anyway)'_

_**I take it you're referring to shopaholics like Paulina?**_

'…_So what're you doing after school?'_

_**Lol. After school I'm going to the Skulk and Lurk. I just finished a poem. You?**_

'_Just heading home to listen to my dad blather on about his new ghost portal…can I come with you PLEASE?!'_

_**Lol. It can't be that bad.**_

'_You say that because you don't know._

_**Not my fault! My parents are such idiots!**_

'…_anyway, can I come? Just this once?_

_**Danny, I'm a Goth. I'm going to a Goth gathering. You're a cheerful person. I can't take you there.**_

'_I can be dark.'_

_**No you can't. Remember Halloween last year?**_

_'…sorta'_

_**Your parents dressed you up as a ghost…**_

_'I knew there was a reason I blocked that memory out! Thanks a lot Sam.'_

_**My point is you decided to be a friendly ghost. At least, that's what it seemed like. I don't think you actually meant to.**_

'…_well maybe if I got some inspiration…'_

_**No Danny. Anyway, the bell's about to ring. See you Monday.**_

'_Yeah, see ya Sam.'_

Danny tossed the note back to Sam just as the bell rang. He gathered his stuff and rushed out the door with the rest of the students before Mr. Lancer could call out their weekend assignment(s).

After getting out of the classroom, there was no reason to rush and he soon found himself walking leisurely towards his locker. Dash wasn't at school that day so Danny didn't have to keep looking over his shoulder.

Ever since the third grade, Dash had it out for Danny. It was only because Dash'd "sprained" his ankle in football practice that he wasn't being stuffed inside a locker right then and there. Danny snorted and angrily kicked the floor. Dash was Casper High's star quarterback. He'd _never_ fake a sprained foot, blame it on an innocent Danny, and get out of taking his history test.

_Yeah right. He did it in a heartbeat._

He sighed at the unfairness of it all, grabbing his backpack and necessary books before shutting his locker.

"Hi, Danny!"

"Ah!" Danny jumped, dropping his books and backpack. He whirled around to face Valerie, eyes wide (which became narrowed when he saw who it was). The few people left in the hall giggled at his reaction.

"Hehe, sorry, Danny," the African American girl apologized, trying to hold back her own giggles.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, going down on his knees to gather up his stuff. "What do ya want this time?" he asked quietly, glancing around the hall to make sure no one was within hearing distance.

"Can't I say hello without there being a reason behind it?" She didn't bend down to help him. She wasn't intentionally being mean—they _were_ friends—but she constantly worried about a ghost attacking and didn't want to let her guard down.

Danny gave her an odd look before sighing. "Not anymore," he muttered to himself quietly. Louder, he said, "I suppose not. I just thought you wanted to continue asking me about my parents' ghost portal."

"Are they almost done with it?" she asked innocently.

He considered lying to her, since she'd insist on coming over to see it, but his conscious got the better of him. He sighed. "Yeah. They said they should be done with it by the time I got home." Her teal eyes instantly lit up with excitement and he groaned inwardly.

She squealed (making Danny flinch). "C'mon then! Let's go see it!" She grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the door.

Valerie…was ghost obsessed. More so than his dad and that was saying something.

Two years ago, Valerie's dad had lost his high paying job because his new security system hadn't been able to stop three rampaging ghost dogs from tearing apart Axion Labs. Fortunately (or unfortunately), Danny had been there with the rest of the class on a field trip. He'd managed to push Valerie out of their way when the three dogs began fighting over a squeaky toy. One of the dogs then became interested in the new game of "fetch". Danny had never been so exhausted (or embarrassed; _Valerie_ hadn't fallen down face first) in his entire life.

It wasn't long before his parents got there, defeated the ghosts, and scolded Danny on being reckless again….in front of the whole class, who all quickly forgot that he'd just saved Valerie and insisted on teasing him about it. Valerie gave a very embarrassed, very forced thank you, though.

After that, however, she was soon kicked out of the A-list. She blamed the ghosts for ruining her life and went to the Fentons for training in ghost hunting. Maddie, Danny's mom, made her a prototype suit so she would be less likely to get hurt. Then, under Valerie's "insistence", they colored it red instead of green and made her a mask to keep her identity a secret from the ghosts. (1)

Thus the Red Huntress came to be.

Danny grumbled something incoherent as he let the stronger girl drag him home. Last year, he would have been smiling at her excitement. Now, he just felt annoyed and out of place. His parents and Val would soon forget he was even there as soon as they started talking about ghosts.

Valerie pulled him into the first alley they came to and began pulling out her suit.

Danny gave her an askance look. He turned to keep watch in case someone saw her. She was trying to keep a secret identity after all, it was just more from fans now than from ghosts. "You know there's nothing wrong with walking, Val. The Portal will still be there when we there."

"I know that, Danny. I just want to get to Fentonworks before your parents turn it on," she replied, her muffled voice signifying that she had her mask on.

He did smile at that. Obsessed or not, she loved what she did. And, he had to admit, he liked flying with her a whole lot more than walking.

He heard a humming noise and turned around just in time to be snatched up by the Red Huntress. He let out a startled yelp as they suddenly shot high above the building, clutching the arm and shoulder that was holding him tightly since his feet were dangling in open air. The wind pushed against him forcefully and he instinctively pulled closer to Val's body to escape some of it—and to reinforce his safety. He was light and she was strong, but he didn't trust gravity at all.

She hovered out when they cleared the last building, laughing at his terrified face. He maneuvered in her arm until he felt her jet sled beneath his feet. He pushed out of her one armed hold and glared at her hunched frame, arms crossed.

"A little warning next time would be lovely, Huntress," he commented dryly.

"Ah, stop your complaining, Fenton," she said, standing up straight again. By the tone of her voice, he presumed she was still laughing at him on the inside. "You liked the adrenaline rush."

Danny stuck out his tongue. "Yeah, whatever. Let's just get out of here before—"

"_Red Huntress! Red Huntress!"_ a call came from a microphone. Danny and Valerie turned and saw a Channel 4's news helicopter advancing on them. _"Where are you and the Fenton boy going?"_

Danny snorted at the "Fenton boy" comment, but smiled a little nervously at the man inside the 'copter. God, he hated being on camera. "—before the news finds you again."

"Don't they have enough gossip to fill their pockets?" Danny could just barely make out the glare behind the black glass.

"Apparently not. Looks like they're trying to start that whole romance idea between us going again."

"That's done and over with. They need something new."

Danny nodded, a little sadly though.

The public loved the Red Huntress. She was the best ghost hunter Amity had _and_ she was a mystery. People love mysteries more than they love to breathe, it seemed. It wasn't long after Valerie started her side career that they began trying to get every little piece of her personal life down on paper. It didn't help that Valerie's young appearance, shapely figure, and bold personality attracted a large quantity of the male teenage population, the media's targeted audience.

Unfortunately for Danny, he was the son of the two ghost hunters of Amity Park/ Red Huntress's mentors. As their friendship had grown, Valerie had taken to flying him home on her jet sled and it wasn't long before the gossipers caught on to this. Evidently, the relationship between Danny's parents and Val's apprenticeship was a very romantic idea. Stories and rumors sprung up all over the internet about just such a thing. Valerie had once had him read one of the stories and he'd gotten as red as a tomato.

The feelings at school had been mixed. Danny was shoved into lockers a lot more by Dash for "stealing" "his" girl and others gave him disgusted glares (probably thinking "what could the Red Huntress possibly see in him?") Some girls started giving him second glances—which he liked a lot—and some guys gave him a pat on the back.

His parents and Jazz had been thrilled by the idea and continuously tried to push them together. Very embarassing.

Eventually, the pressure and hormones got to them and they'd tried dating. Key word: tried. It probably would have worked out if the public's increased interest hadn't gotten to the point of intrusion and the ghosts hadn't decided that Danny played an excellent "damsel in distress". Valerie had broken it off a week after it began when he'd gotten seriously hurt by a talkative ghost with white hair.

It was kind of sad because she was the first girl Danny had actually clicked with.

Well, there was Sam, but they were just friends.

"Are you going to answer them this time or will you run away again?" Danny asked, bringing himself back to the present.

"Answer them, I suppose. Anything to stop them from writing more stories like 'the Life of an Apprentice Ghost Hunter'."

Danny blushed at the mere mention of it. He'd somehow come out as being practically a helpless girl in a boy's body while Valerie was portrayed as a headstrong girl who instantly fell for his sweet and innocent character. "Let's _not_ bring that up."

"You got it, Dan." He gave her a cold glare at the nickname she used in the story. She chuckled at his disgusted expression. She turned back to the "patiently" waiting man in the helicopter. "I'm just bringing him home to Fentonworks."

"_Why_?"

"That's where I live, dude," Danny muttered.

"I don't think that's what he means, Danny." He just shrugged. "I'm taking him home so I can see what his parents' latest invention."

"Now go!" Danny shouted at her, grabbing onto her shoulders just as the man began saying something along the lines of "Wha". The jet sled lived up to its name and sped off towards Fentonworks, leaving the stuttering reporter in the dust.

"They are so annoying!" Valerie grumbled to Danny over the wind. He rolled his eyes. _Here comes a rant._ "I mean, it's not like they need me to juice up their stories any and—"

"Um, Val," Danny called hesitantly. All the hesitancy in the world couldn't stop a bug from flying into his mouth, however. "Eww, yuck! Look, can we not talk about this? At least, not 'til we land?"

"Now what good are you if I can't rant my feelings to ya?" she asked humorously.

"Uh-huh. Funny. Fentonworks!" Danny pointed down to the large two story building. It would have been a normal building if not for the blinking "FentonWorks" neon sign and flying saucer-looking thing on top of it.

"I have eyes," Valerie pointed out.

"Coulda fooled me," he replied with a smile, indicating her mask.

"That's not very funny, Danny." She began to glide down to his front porch. "You need some new jokes."

Danny scoffed and jumped down as soon as they were just five feet above the ground. Valerie pushed a button on the sled and it contracted, pulling into her boots. She stared at Danny, blocking his entrance into the house with crossed arms.

"You could have hurt yourself," she scolded.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not a little kid," he reminded her indigently. He pushed past her and opened the door. "Mom, Dad, Jazz! I'm home! And the Red Huntress is with me!" he called as soon as he'd stepped inside. He couldn't just blurt out Valerie's name in case there was company. She'd pound him into next week.

"Great!" the echo-y voice of his father called back. "Come down to the lab quick, Red! We need your help!"

Valerie snatched his arm ("Again, Val?!") and pulled him with her into the kitchen. Jazz was sitting at the table with a book firmly in front of her face. Nevertheless, she held up an apple for Danny, who snatched it as they passed. He mouthed a quick "Help me!" to her before being yanked down to the basement-turned-lab of all things weird and ecto.

There was a bright flash of green light that blinded the two teens for a moment before fading away when they reached the last step. Danny removed the arm he'd risen to shield his eyes. He saw two blurry spots. One large orange one and one small blue one…no wait, those were his parents. He blinked and rubbed his eyes.

"What was that?" Valerie asked in slight awe.

"_That_," the orange spot answered, "was ecto-purifier merging with ecto-petroleum to create—" he threw his hand up in the air, holding a green bubbly substance inside a cylindrical container "—the ecto-filtrator!"

Danny gave Valerie a wary look. _Please don't ask. Please don't ask. Please—_

"What does it do? What's it for?"

He face palmed. She was a hopeless cause.

"It filters out ecto-impurities in the portal so the portal doesn't explode!" Jack crowed.

Danny raised an eyebrow. "So it's dangerous?"

"Only if you forget to refill the 'filtrator every six months, Son."

"_I_ have to change it?!" he asked indigently. "Why do I have to?"

"I'm sorry, Sweetie," Maddie said apologetically. "But we're not sure how well the portal will lessen the amount of ghosts escaping into Amity. We'll still be very busy and won't have time to keep an eye on it."

He sighed. "I suppose. It's just one more chore…will I finally get an allowance now?" he asked hopefully.

"We'll think about it."

Danny huffed. That wasn't very likely.

"Why are you building a Ghost Zone Portal?" Valerie asked.

"So we can get inside the Ghost Zone and keep their comings and goings recorded," Jack responded instantly.

"Joy," Danny muttered, not that anyone heard him. They'd already blocked him out as they started in on their usual ghost conversations. He just shrugged and took a bite of his apple, glancing around at the lab.

Looking at the basement now, mad scientists leaped to mind. The walls and the floors were covered in silver metal with a slight covering of glowing bright green goo. Beakers (some broken and others spilling their contents everywhere) riddled the counters. Boxes full of broken/useless gadgets gathered at one end. Danny hadn't been able to clean it for two weeks now because of their resent breakthrough with the portal.

A large space in the middle was usually occupied with his parents' larger inventions. At the moment, all it had was metal scraps and wires they hadn't needed for the portal. Over in the corner was a glass cage that sometimes held a ghost for his parents to experiment on and question. The boy felt a chill run through him at the thought of that and he quickly turned away.

He glimpsed the large tunnel behind his Dad's…wide body. Being cautious but causal (caution set their senses on edge for a strange reason), Danny made his way over to it.

_Large and creepy, _he confirmed to himself, taking another bite of the apple as soon as he was standing in front of it. It was about eight or so feet high and wide. It led into the wall about twelve feet before ending with a faintly glowing metal car tire-looking thing. The walls were black and had glowing green streaks running along them that eventually connected to the "tire".

A shiver ran through his spine and he turned away. He spotted his parents and Valerie out of the corner of his eye and had to smile a little. He was the only one not wearing a Hazmat suit. He had one; he just never wore it.

_Urgh, I got to get my mind off of the weirdness, _he thought in a pained tone. The problem was he wanted to see if the portal would work too, and for that he needed to stay down in the lab where it was almost impossible to _not_ think "weird" thoughts. Almost.

Danny's eyes scanned the room and he grinned, spotting his release. The computer.

He stepped over the wires leading to the tunnel/portal and detoured around the ghost eccentrics. He shoved the junk covering the computer's chair off and flopped down onto it. He minimized the ghost babble his parents had been working on.

He signed onto the internet and smiled when he saw Tucker was also on it.

Tucker could be described in two short words at first glance. Techno-geek. Wherever he went, he had some form of technology with him, even if it was just a small, out-of-date MP3. Usually it was a PDA, though.

Danny and he had met during a joined school field trip to the Grand Canyon when they were six. Danny's parents had, of course, insisted on going with him and had gotten him and Tucker into trouble. They'd "bonded" while sitting in "time-out" (the bus). Danny had instantly seen past the techno-geek front straight to the lonely but sarcastically funny boy. Tucker had likewise bypassed the whole "your parents are so weird thing" and straight onto the friends phase. By the end of the day, they'd both made their first (and only) best friend. It was very disappointing for both to realize they lived forty miles away from each other.

Not a problem for the techno-geek, though. Finding the solution was easy ("Technowogy to the rescue, dude!"), teaching Danny how to work said technology was a bit more difficult.

Still, they stayed in contact all those years and Danny could honestly say that even though they never really talked with each other face to face again, Tucker was his best friend.

All praise internet.

**_Huntrs'son has signed on. _**(2)

_Huntrs'son: "Tucker?"_

_Tech_King: "Danny! Hows it goin man?"_

_Huntrs'son: "not so good. My parents are building, get this, a ghost portal"_

_Tech_King: "a whata?"_

_Huntrs'son: "a portal opening a hole into the ghosts' dimension."_

_Tech_King: "oh cool…I think. Isnt that dangerous though?"_

_Huntrs'son: "looks like it. Its my job to keep it from exploding."_

_Tech_King: "-whistles- pressure much?"_

_Huntrs'son: "nah. Ive got six months."_

_Tech_King: "goodbye Danny. I'll miss ya buddy!"_

_Huntrs'son: "Ha ha. Very funny. Ill rmember."_

_Tech_King: "Are you kidding? uv a horrible memory. When I move to amity park im makin u a schedule."_

_Huntrs'son: "like i…wait WHAT?! your moving here?! Dude that's awesome!...Right?"_

_Tech_King: "Yeah its awesome! I'll finally get to meet the Red Huntress!"_

_Huntrs'son: "coughcough"_

_Tech_King: "Oh, and you too."_

_Huntrs'son: "Uh-huh. She's right behind me btw. She hasn't heard its rude to read over people's shoulders." _

"Ha, ha, Danny," Val said, lightly punching his shoulder. "You need to work on your spelling and grammar."

"What are you my mother?"

_Tech_King: "WHAT!!! –faints- giejgsdfhhhhhhhhhhh"_

"Look, you made Tucker faint!" Danny accused. He began pushing her away. "Go talk ghosts with my parents."

"Maybe he wants to talk to me," she commented evilly, all too easily escaping him.

"No he—"

"_**Ding"**_

_Tech_King: "Does she want to talk?"_

Danny groaned. "I feel so betrayed."

Valerie laughed and pushed him and the chair away slightly. "Move aside 'Huntrs'son.'"

"Valerie?" Maddie called.

Val looked up from the keyboard. "Yeah?"

"Can you come here?" she asked.

She sighed. "You got lucky this time, Fenton."

"I'm never lucky, Val," he replied, scooting the computer chair back in front of the computer. "Just watch. I'll be hit with ectoplasm before the day is out because of that portal. You'll see."

_Tech_King: "Hello?"_

_Huntrs'son: "Sorry tuck. She was about to but my mom pulled her away."_

_Tech_King: "Nooooo!!"_

_Huntrs'son: "lol. So when are you moving?"_

_Tech_King: "in a few weeks. My dad's company is moving down there."_

_Tech_King: "Um Danny? Are the ghosts there as bad as they say?" _

_Huntrs'son: "Sorta. Nobody's gotten killed, but there are a lot of injured and a few coma cases."_

_Tech_King: "oh."_

_Huntrs'son: "…don't worry about it tuck. Mom and Dad's portal is supposed to help." _

_Tech_King: "Alright. I'll just think of the Red Huntress!"_

Danny rolled his eyes.

_Huntrs'son: "Unless you somehow become a ghost, I don't think you'll be catching her attention for very long. She's ghost obsessed."_

_Tech_King: "Maybe. So how're you and that Sam girl doing?" _

Danny blushed.

_Huntrs'son: "We're just friends Tucker."_

_Tech_King: "Did I imply otherwise?"_

Danny's blush deepened.

"BONZAII!!"

Danny spun his chair around just in time to see a spark appear inside the dark tunnel before fizzling out of existence. The whining noise Danny had heard after his dad's shout died down with a putter. He bit his lip and looked at his parents.

Maddie looked disappointed, her eyes slowly falling to the floor along with her hands. Jack had a devastated look on his face. Danny had never seen him look so heartbroken. He was usually the most cheerful man you could meet. The look of the two was troubling in itself.

Valerie laid a comforting hand on each of their shoulders. Jack let the plug in cord slip through his nerveless fingers. Danny and Valerie flinched at the suddenly loud noise. She guided them out of the lab with very little resistance from them. Danny looked at the portal before sighing and turning back to the computer.

_Huntrs'son: "The portal didn't work man."_

_Tech_King: "Oh. Bummer. How're your parents taking it?"_

_Huntrs'son: "Very badly. Red just led them back upstairs like they were zombies."_

_Tech_King: "-whistles-that's bad."_

_Huntrs'son: "I wish there was some way I could bring their spirits back up. They've been working on this for like two weeks....or was it one?"_

_Tech_King: "…Maybe there is…"_

_Huntrs'son: "Tuck? What are you getting at?"_

_Tech_King: "Well, your parents just left after the portal failed, right?"_

_Huntrs'son: "Yeah…"_

_Tech_King: "So why don't you try to fix it?"_

_Huntrs'son: What? I can't fix it! I don't even understand algebra! How am I supposed to know how to open a portal into another dimension?"_

_Tech_King: "Please. Your parents did all the hard work. Something just went wrong. And hello! Techno-geek here."_

_Huntrs'son: "Alright. What do you suggest?"_

_Tech_King: "Tell me what happened."_

_Huntrs'son: "There was a spark that came out of the portal, a whining noise, a pute sound, and then it died."_

_Tech_King: "Hmm. Sounds like it didn't get enough energy. Maybe a wire got disconnected or something."_

_Huntrs'son: "But that'd mean going into the thing!"_

_Tech_King: "So? You want to help your parents out, right?"_

_Huntrs'son: "-sigh- fine. Just find an unplugged wire and plug it in?"_

_Tech_King: "Hell no! What you wanna get zapped? Tell your parents what you found and let them figure out what to do."_

_Huntrs'son: "Oh. Right. I knew that."_

_Tech_King: "Don't forget to wear a Hazmat suit!"_

_Huntrs'son: "Eww, tuck!"_

_Tech_King: "I know you hate 'em, but you want to be safe, right? There may be radiation inside there."_

_Huntrs'son: "Fine. One white and black dork coming up."_

_Tech_King: "Great! Tell me how it goes in a half hour. I'm off to get something to eat. Good luck!"_

_**Tech_King has signed off.**_

Danny leaned back in his chair and sighed. _Why does my life have to be so difficult?_

He stood up and made his way to the lab's closet. He pulled out his jumpsuit and held it against him. Except for collar, boots, belts, and gloves, the whole jumpsuit was stark white. Those pieces were pitch black. They created a nice contrast with each other as well as with Danny's hair. In the middle of the chest area was a sticky picture of his dad's face. Danny made a face of his own before tearing it off.

He was about to throw it away, but hesitated. He looked at the suit then back at the picture. The suit looked so…bare without _something_ there. He wasn't going to walk around with his father's face on his chest, though.

Suddenly getting an idea, he threw the sticky-face away and went back to the computer. He opened up his pictures and scrolled through them until he found what he wanted. The picture was a black speeding D with a gap at the bottom, making it look like there was a negative P inside it.

Sam had made it for him after Halloween last year. He'd given himself the name Danny Phantom while playing "ghost." She said she was just bored in class before giving it to him. He, of course, didn't even think that it took a lot of time to come up with something like that and instead put it to her originality and creativity.

It was perfect for putting on his jumpsuit.

He printed it on sticky paper and then stuck it to approximately where his dad's face had been. He studied the end result with a smile.

"Not too bad, Fenton," he told himself. His eyes strayed to the creepy hole in the wall. He sighed. "All right, time to stop delaying."

The insignia improved the suit, but it was still a jumpsuit. Danny grimaced after putting it on. They were so…weird. And it was skintight. _And_ it itched.

He sighed again, walking over to the tunnel opening. He felt the shiver run through his spine again, but he shook it off. He pushed his fear aside and entered the dark, creepy tunnel. He got halfway in before stopping and muttering darkly.

He forgot he'd need a light.

He was about to leave, but stopped. There was something…there that hadn't been before. It felt…good…like being reunited with an old friend…no, a family member. He frowned and took a step backward. The warm feeling disappeared. He returned to his previous spot and the feeling was back.

"What's going on?" he asked himself. He hadn't lowered his voice and it echoed _loudly_ in the tunnel. He jumped involuntarily, his hand straying to the wall. He felt something give under his hand and give a soft, echo-y click. A whining noise started up from further in the tunnel and he took his eyes off his hand. The streaked green lights had started to glow very brightly and they looked as if some sort of fluid was moving in them towards the center. Danny gulped when he saw the center metal-tire-thing begin to glow green too.

The green glow started to expand.

Danny gasped. Inside the green light, he could make out a figure. It wasn't very clear and it wavered a bit, but it was definitely humanoid. It was black where the figure was as if it were wearing a black blanket and hood. The only thing he could make out clearly was two brightly glowing green eyes.

The eyes turned away as Danny suddenly felt wind blowing against his face. The wind picked up speed just as the eyes—wider now and with a hint of fear—whipped back in his direction, getting bigger very fast as if he were moving forward. Very quickly.

He heard an agonized scream just as the glowing green stuff in the back of the tun—no, portal exploded out towards him. His own scream joined with the other in synchronization as the green light--ectoplasm hit him.

It hurt. It hurt a lot…

* * *

**(1) Yeah, it's just like the one Vlad would have made her. I wanted the Fentons and her to have a relationship and, really, Vlad wouldn't have a need for a pawn without Danny being Phantom. He has the ghosts for that.**

**(2) Heh. Yeah, I suck at making IM names. I wanted to do something with Astronomy, but I don't know a whole lot about it and what I did know I couldn't put into a good name. As for the crapy IM speak, well I write on Word (which I don't own either ^-^), and it kept on fixing my "mistakes" and putting those squiggly things there. I eventually just said screw it and gave Danny and Tucker a lesten in English.**

**I'll explain Danny and his friends' relationships more later on. I didn't want to add any more info. It already seems really info dumpy to me. Danny may have seemed ooc to Valerie, but he is annoyed with her, and I wanted that to show. He seems kinda rude to me, but when I tried to fix it, it was awful. I hope it was just me.**

**Nope. No Phantom in this one. He will be in the next though. You'll get to see his insight on Amity a little.**

**Thank you all again who reviewed! I really appreciated them. To those who're thinking about it but don't...please do. I _really_ love feedback :D**

**Thanks for reading!**

* * *


	4. Portal Crossing Part Two

**Hey everybody!  
Thanks so much for reviewing! I really needed it this time around. The reassurence helped me with this chapter. I realized it hadn't been very good (mostly just informatioin) so I had to redo it all. X( Annoying.  
Sorry about the contunity problem. I'd orginally written this one before the Danny's chapter and I forgot I had to mention about it. I hope I explained it well. (I don't think I can go wrong with it though. You were right, it was just natural portals.)**

**Sorry it's a filler-ish chapter. I needed to get Phantom's side of the story before I described the accident. Patient's good for you ^-^**

**I don't own Danny Phantom and never will. I would say I don't own Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech either, but i don't know how that works...if you can own a speech, i don't own this one.**

* * *

Chapter 2  
Portal Crossing Part Two

The fourteen-year old halfa ghost currently known as David, blinked lazily at the two observants arguing before him. His head was resting on his left hand which was being held up by his elbow resting on his knee. Yup. He was sitting Indian style(1). No he wasn't cramping, but yes he was about to act like he was if the two repetitive ghosts didn't stop their "bickering."

David's eyes drifted to the frozen picture of the Marin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. At the moment the screen/eyeball had frozen, Mr. King was standing over the large gathering at Washington D.C., his mouth open and his arm raised as he spoke to the people. The observants had the impeccable timing of freezing the speech in the middle of a sentence.

David sighed and looked back at his "teachers." This happened a lot. The observants always _seemed_ in perfect agreement because they could discuss things very quickly, mind-to-mind. They could choose on an action in a split second. But when they were at a disagreement where time wasn't an issue—oh, say, when they're trying to give a lesson to a very bored halfa—they liked to go on and on. And on. And on…

He put his right hand to his mouth to cover his yawn. He didn't want them to start drilling him on manners again. Eight subjects with them were more than enough already. Too much, actually.

The two ghosts were arguing about whether or not it was worth it to let the speech continue. It would have taken _just_ twenty minutes to finish. It'd now almost been a whole hour that David had been sitting there, listening to them. The least they could do was speak in anything besides a monotone. A little emotion would have made it a _little_ bit more entertaining.

On the bright side, though, they weren't drilling him on every little detail. It really sucked to be the only student.

David was being tutored by them because Clockwork felt he needed an education. The problem was that he couldn't spare the time required to teach him all that he needed to know and he couldn't let some other ghost do it since David was a halfa in secret. The observants were the only ones who knew of him and had enough ghosts to spare in order to teach. So David had been learning from them since he was nine. He started very late, but the observants were good teachers—if annoying—and he was most likely caught up with others his age.

_Now if only they'd stop arguing and start teaching me something useful,_ David thought in annoyance. _I no longer need to see the speech. I think they covered the last twenty minutes with their arguing._

He sighed again and decided he had had enough. He took his head off his hand and cleared his throat. They looked at him in surprise as if they'd forgotten he was there. "Are we done here?" he asked. It usually left them so dumbfounded at how blunt he was that he was able to leave.

This wasn't one of those times.

One of them, the one who'd said the last twenty minutes weren't important, said emotionlessly, "No, we are not done. We have other things to teach you today."

"Not until he finishes the speech," the other one disagreed.

"There is no need to," the first argued. "He has said all that he needed to say. The rest is just passion."

"The passion is what makes it such a famous speech."

"The whole speech was filled with passion. He does not need to hear the rest."

"What I don't need to hear is this argument," David muttered, sighing in exasperation as they started all over.

"Excuse me, milords?" a tentative voice called from the doorway.

David turned to the familiar voice with a hopeful expression. Princess Dora floated in front of an open door with her hands clasped in front of her and her head pointed slightly downwards as if in submission. She wasn't wearing her princess attire except for her emerald necklace and gold headband. Her blond hair was pulled back in a braid that was currently lying over her shoulder.

Dora was Aragon's little sister, though she wasn't highly respected. Aragon's kingdom resided in the dark ages, so, as a princess, Dora was expected to be completely subservient, "perfect," and kind. She held a lot of power, but she never took the initiative. She rarely talked unless spoken to. For her to be here and to interrupt the observants meant that she'd been sent. Hopefully by Clockwork to bring David back.

The observants turned their attention to her. "Yes?" they asked in perfect unison. David resisted the urge to roll his eyes like Clockwork would. Clockwork could because he had no irises, David did.

"Master Clockwork wishes for his charge to return," she told them politely. She glanced at David before returning her attention to the two eyeball ghosts.

The observants, silently communicated before saying, "Very well." Dora curtsied to them as they walked out of the room, the frozen picture fading to black.

David unfolded his legs and floated over to Dora, smiling broadly. "Man, am I glad you came here when you did. They were about to restart an hour long argument all over again!"

Dora gave him a small smile and began leading him out of the observants' tower. The observants they passed barely spared them a glance at first. But right as Dora and David were about to leave, they heard anxious yelling from the observation room. Dora looked at the door with an elegant eyebrow raised.

David shrugged. "Whatever it is, I'm sure Clockwork's already seen it," he said.

"I wonder if it has something to do with Amity Park," Dora speculated.

David sighed unhappily. Amity Park was two things to him; the Ghost Zone's legendary challenge city and his human half's home. It was just his luck that they would be the same place. "Most likely. Everyone's attracted to it for some reason."

"You know why, Sir David…It is still David right?" Dora asked, her lips twitching a little.

"For now. I'm thinking about giving it up, though."

"Of course." David stuck his tongue out at her. She laughed lightly.

"Yeah," he said, getting serious again. "I know why. I just don't understand."

"It's a reputation thing," Dora replied. "You wouldn't understand because you were given a good reputation the moment you died since Master Clockwork took you in as his apprentice. But the rest of us need to build ours up. How long a ghost can last in that town is a good way." She made a face. "The ghost who is currently with the best record is Technus. He took over for about a week before the humans defeated him. Remember?"

David's hand started to go up unconsciously towards his neck before he stopped it. He knew of Technus's take over about a year ago. Danny had gotten seriously hurt, nearly killing them both, by trying to stop him. If the electrical wire had sliced him a few centimeters to the left, they both wouldn't be around. As it was, Danny had lost a lot of blood and had gotten a scar.

David, who had been just leaving Skulker's island, had felt the cut and the sudden loss of blood as if he were the one who'd been hurt. He'd almost made it back to Clockwork's tower before he'd felt a strange pull on his chest and passed out. Clockwork, being the master of time and all, had seen it coming and had brought him inside. Once he'd recovered, he was allowed to see what had happened to Danny.

After that, he'd wanted to know all about how Amity was handling the restless ghosts. That was how he learned about who his parents were...

"Yeah, Dora," he finally answered. "I remember." He looked around, suddenly remembering someone was missing. "Hey. Where's Cujo?"

"Maxwell is hunting his squeaky. My brother had the bright idea to hide it in order to make him a better guard dog."

David smiled at her. "Is that sarcasm, Princess?

"No," she denied, blushing a little.

He laughed. "Well, I hope Aragon gives up for once. Cujo's going to tear the castle apart!"

"Why do you think I agreed to Master Clockworks summons?" Dora questioned, smiling a little.

David pulled the door open and allowed the Princess to leave first, bowing over his hand as she passed. She giggled softly and nodded her thanks. He flew out after her and pulled his hood more securely over his head.

Dora frowned slightly at him. "Why do you wear that, Sir David?"

He gave her an uncomfortable look before shrugging. "Clockwork wants me to wear it." It was half true. His mentor wanted him to wear a hood to cover up his hair and face, but he preferred a cloak. David insisted on a cape, which was what he was wearing. A black cape that he could use for dramatic entrances. It helped his reputation so Clockwork couldn't complain too much. The clothes underneath the cape, however, weren't so awe inspiring. They were just a black tank top, black loose pants, white belt, and white boots. Not very stylish, but he wasn't that into fashion to begin with. (2)

They began flying towards Clockworks tower. It wasn't very far.

"Why?"

"It's Clockwork," David replied dryly. "Who knows?" _Me and the observants._

"I suppose so," Dora said slowly, giving David an odd look. He saw this and sped up the pace a little. The sooner they got to the tower the better.

"So did Clockwork say why he wanted to see me?" he asked.

"No, but he was looking at a picture of a large gathering of ghosts," she replied. "Maybe Master Clockwork wants you to disperse them."

"Hmm. Maybe," he said, though he doubted it. If things got bad, he would be in trouble. Clockwork wouldn't send him into danger.

* * *

Once again, I was messing with my staff when my charge and Dora flew in. I do it a lot, I realize, but it's an excellent way to pass the time.

"Thank you, Princess," I said to the dragon princess. "You may leave." She smiled shyly at me and curtsied. She waved goodbye to the boy before leaving my tower.

Once she was gone, he flew up closer to me and took off his hood. He looked up at me with inquisitive neon eyes. They still could send anyone off balance with how much life there was in them. I was surprised no one could see it through the shadow of his hood.

"Did you want something from me, Clockwork, or did you finally come to your senses about letting the observants teach me?" he asked, smiling a little.

I smiled back. "I'm afraid not, young one. I sent Dora for you for two reasons. The first is that there is a rumor."

"Let me guess, I'm a halfa?" he guessed, his arms crossing and looking annoyed.

"You could tell by how Dora was acting," I more-or-less asked. He nodded. "Well, you are right. Skulker and a few others have taken a notice of how you've grown and your preference to talk rather than fight."

He frowned. "Aren't there some ghosts that are born and grow up as ghosts too?" I nodded. "Then why are they suspicious?"

I sighed. "I am _not_ going to dissect a _rumor_." He smiled apologetically and blushed a little. "Now, the other more pressing reason for getting you out of your lessons is that I have a mission for you." He gave me his full attention, a little apprehension in his eyes. I knew Dora had told him about what she'd seen in my screen. It was too bad I wouldn't be able to quell his fears. "It's about Amity Park. You know of the ghosts' attacks there?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course I do. They go there to prove their stuff."

I ignored the jargon and nodded. "Yes. The town isn't doing too well."

He cocked his head to the side. "Aren't my parents and Valerie handling it?"

I sighed. "Yes, but they can't keep it up forever. Humans, no matter how tough, can't fight ghosts forever." He nodded a little sadly. "That being said, a ghost invasion would naturally be very bad at this moment." His eyes widened and I saw the apprehension start to grow. I was struggling inwardly with my decision on this. I knew that I had to do this in order for the preferred future to come, but it'd be putting his life at risk. I waved my staff in front of the screen and an image of many ghosts standing in a circle came to life. "I foresaw a very powerful portal opening, young one." I shifted uneasily and gave him an apologetic look. "A ghost was with me at the time, and as you know I sometimes do, I said my vision aloud. About four days ago. I'm afraid the ghost spread the news like wildfire throughout the Ghost Zone. Half of our population is waiting for it to open. They cannot be allowed to go through."

He looked at me with wide eyes, his anxiety now almost physically rolling off him. "Why are they so interested in that portal?" he asked, trying to forestall.

"Because this portal will draw energy from the other portals and will be one of the very few portals left opening up into Amity Park. All the others won't be able to handle very powerful ghosts. They see this as their last opportunity." He just looked at me, shifting uneasily. "I want you to go and tell them not to invade."

His jaw dropped then as I finally confirmed my orders. "But, Clockwork, they won't listen to _me_!"

"I'm sure you will think of something."

"Yeah, they'll make me _fight_ them!"

"You can talk your way out of a challenge, I'm sure."

"B-but—"

"You have to, David. If you don't both Danny and Amity Park won't survive the onslaught," I interrupted, using his chosen name at the moment to drive it home to him. His eyes spoke betrayal and it nearly made me reconsider. I didn't want to hurt him, but it had to be done. I stayed floating, my face emotionless.

I saw tears gather at his eyes before he pulled up his hood and flew out of my tower as fast as he could.

* * *

The halfa (who's currently in the process of choosing another name) growled/sobbed as he flew over the large, floating piece of rock and continued at top speed to his destination. He wasn't exactly sure where it was, but he knew the general direction. He'd know when he got there, though. Apparently, about half of the _entire_ Ghost Zone was supposed to be there. _That'd_ make it hard to miss.

He felt a few tears trickle down his cheeks and angrily brushed them away. The halfa bit his lip and shook his head. If he didn't care so much about Clockwork, he'd think he was _trying_ to kill him. As it was, the halfa knew he'd planned this. He didn't know how he was going to benefit from putting him in danger, but it had to be worth it. He wouldn't just cast him aside…

Would he?

"BEWARE!"

"YAH!" the halfa jumped—which was pretty amusing to see since he was currently flying under an arch. He rubbed his sore head and glared at the Box Ghost. The blue overall wearing ghost was laughing triumphantly at having hurt a supposedly "powerful" ghost. "Darn it, Box Ghost," he growled. "I don't have time for you!" He zoomed off, leaving the box obsessed ghost still laughing insanely.

He could have asked the Box Ghost for directions since he was one of the Ghost Zones greatest gossipers, but…well, he avoided that ghost as much as possible, which was kind of embarrassing. The Box Ghost was either very stupid and arrogant or very brave and stupid because he insisted on fighting _all_ ghosts, even powerful ones. The sad thing was he was one of the weakest. Sadder still, the halfa boy was pretty sure he was even weaker. That meant no talking to Mr. Box Ghost.

And he was expected to tell half the Ghost Zone they weren't allowed to go to the human world. Sometimes he hated being over-estimated.

They wouldn't listen to him. He knew they wouldn't. Maybe before the rumor had started, but now that the idea was out there, they wouldn't take him as seriously. Besides, this was their last chance to seriously invade the town.

The fact that so many portals were going to shut down was technically a good thing for the living. There had been a lot of natural portals up around Amity Park these past two years. _Many_ restless ghosts had taken advantage of this and had gone out of the Ghost Zone to terrorize and have fun. Sadly, even after two years, the city wasn't holding out well. They only had three ghost hunters and a government agency that didn't really care about the city itself. Humans just couldn't keep up with ghosts very well. They were just barely managing to keep the city standing.

Two of the ghost hunters were the halfa's own parents, Jack and Maddie Fenton. They were more scientists than hunters, but that just made them all the more terrifying to the ghosts. Their favorite battle cry was to yell they were going to rip the ghost apart "molecule by molecule". They daydreamed of dissecting a ghost and finally getting all their questions answered, even if it meant by torture. This certainly didn't make their halfa _ghost_ son feel very well. Luckily for all ghosts, they weren't the best hunters. Put them together with the other ghost hunter, though, and many ghosts thought twice about visiting.

The third was actually a huntress; the Red Huntress, as the public had called her. Her real name was Valerie Gray and she had a vendetta against ghosts. She was greatly feared and therefore, greatly sought at to "raise reputation." Needless to say, she was almost merciless in her hunting despite her only being fourteen. Not that the public knew that. She was their shining star and heroine. They thought she was sixteen or so. Not that he really blamed them. She had a mature enough figure…

He blushed fiercely and shook his head. _Darn hormones,_ he thought. _Why couldn't Danny get them all? You have to focus, you idiot!"_

Right, so the city only had them to protect it. Two ghost obsessed scientists who dreamed of tearing them apart "atom by atom"—he flinched at the image of his parents ripping _him_ apart—and a teenage vengeful huntress. A lot of people got hurt and plenty of properties were damaged. But, the inhabitants all lived and the city was still standing (even if half of it was rubble.) With the birth of the "super portal" the city _should_ catch a break. It'd limit the amount of ghosts escaping to the human world.

…As long as half of the entire Ghost Zone didn't invade at once.

He sighed. _How am I going to do this?_ he thought desperately.

Finally, a bright light appeared before him. That bright a light wasn't natural for the Ghost Zone. Gather enough glowing ghosts in one spot, though, and you got an unnatural nightlight. He'd found the gathering.

The halfa's eyes narrowed at the location. Clockwork had once told him that this area was his other half's home in the human world. He used to go here when he felt a bit lonely, knowing someone on the other side felt the same way sometimes.

Not that he _liked_ Danny(3). He didn't. Not exactly. He didn't know him, though, so he couldn't say he _hated_ him. It was probably just that jealousy thing Clockwork warned him about. Danny was also lonely, but he had friends and a family. At least he didn't have to think about his parents one day ripping him apart…It certainly felt like jealousy.

But jealousy or not, the ghost half would do anything to protect him.

At any rate, this meant the portal was going to open up inside Danny's home. No wonder they were both at risk of dying.

The halfa ghost put on another burst of speed. There was a hole in the center of the ghost gathering where the portal was to open. All the ghosts were focusing on it eagerly. Perfect! That's where he had to go in order to address them all.

He wasn't looking forward to this. He gave himself a moment to compose himself. He pushed aside his feelings about Clockwork and his anxiety about confronting all those ghosts. They'd distract him and make him hesitant when he needed to seem like his usual, carefree self.

"Here goes everything," he muttered to himself. He dived down into the cleared circle, letting his cape billow out behind him for a dramatic effect, a firm frown on his lips, the only part of his face besides his eyes they could see. He felt self-conscious about doing it, but it was needed to intimidate the other ghosts. He'd never got into an actual physical fight with a ghost before and the only thing getting them to obey him was their fear of the unknown he represented.

The closer ghosts took a step back in surprise at his sudden appearance. His eyes glowing brightly in anger under the cover of his hood's shadow made his intimidation tactic very successful. He smirked a little as quite a few of the ghosts flew away.

"Clockwork and the observants order you all to disperse immediately," he stated in a low, dangerous voice. The speech wasn't poetic and it definitely wasn't very commanding, but he'd been given short notice. It was the best he could come up with in seven minutes. Definetly nothing like Mr. King's speech...

Desiree, a wish granting gypsy looking ghost, took a floating step forward. She scowled at him. "You dare to tell us what to do? You—"

"I wish you'd shut up, Desiree," the halfa interrupted, smirking at her. She glared back as she was forced to grant the wish. He sighed inwardly. This was going to be difficult.

He crossed his arms. "You're not obeying me, per se. I did just say _Clockwork and the Observants_ order you all."

"And why shouldn't we go through, Halfa?" a random ghost in the back sneered.

The boy scowled and uncrossed his arms. "Gee, I don't know. Maybe because you'll be black and blue tomorrow if you do," he countered angrily. Inwardly, however, he was starting to get anxious. Getting power through unknown fear was a double edged blade, especially when you were totally bluffing. _You want to sound tough, but don't challenge._

"Like I could be beat by a measly halfa," the ghost retorted.

"Let's see your pride when this so-call halfa does just that," he growled. _Careful,_ he told himself. _You're getting_ too _challenging._

"Is that a challenge?"

_Oh crap! Way to go, you big mouth! _He crossed his arms again and drew an air of arrogance. "I'm here to stop you all, not play with cocky ghosts."

"Why _are_ you trying to stop us?" one ghost asked in the front.

The halfa ghost shrugged. "I'm not sure why. All I know is that they don't want you to."

The troublesome ghost in the back snorted. "They probably are worried we'll invade and destroy the human world."

The boy shrugged again. "Won't you?"

Many of the ghosts smiled maliciously and the boy rolled his eyes at them. _Of **course**__ they will._

He uncrossed his arms and looked in every direction. "Look, I know you all know this will be the strongest portal opening into Amity Park after it opens, but it's not like it'll shut down right after it does. All I ask is that you wait." Some off the ghosts shifted and looked slightly uncomfortable. None left, though. "Alright, think of it this way. This portal is opening in the ghost hunters' lair, correct?" Wide eyed frightened stairs followed that piece of information. "You didn't know?" A shaking of heads and few muttered "no's". "Well you do now. This portal will open up into the Fentons' home. For those of you who don't know their names, they're the Red Huntress's allies. And I've personally seen them rip a ghost apart." He grimaced a little at remembering the scene he wasn't supposed to have seen, but _this_ got many ghosts fleeing.

The halfa smiled a little. Maybe he _could_ make this work.

"Hold up."

The boy cringed on the inside. Skulker, the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter had it in for him ever since he made a little, itty-bitty, teeny-tiny insult about his mechanical suit. He'd been seven years old then and hadn't known any better. If he had known back then that it would give him a very powerful and obsessive enemy who'd someday start a rumor about him (at least, he was pretty sure it was him), he never would have thought it let alone say it. At least, he didn't think he would have. He was pretty stupid back then. (AN-what teen doesn't think that? ^-^)

The ghosts that were still there turned to the large ghost curiously. "If it opens into the hunters' lair, wouldn't it be smarter to invade while they're unaware of their peril?" he demanded of the halfa.

Said ghost ground his teeth together. _Now what? They've got a plan…_ "Somehow I doubt that. They may even know the portal will open there and could be waiting for you all to come flying through. That may even be why the time masters don't want you to go." _Nice._

Skulker took a few steps forward and the boy had to force himself not to react instinctively. "What is it that you know and we don't?"

He frowned at the full ghost. "I know about as much as you do, Skulker, which, now that I think about it, isn't much at all."

"You're Clockworks apprentice," he insisted.

"Not technically…"

"He tells you many things."

"Usually he's tight lipped."

"He would tell you if there was danger near you."

"I'm starting to doubt that."

Skulker was now looming over him. The halfa refused to float in order to look him straight in the eyes. The damage was done and he was now at a height disadvantage which could hurt his image. "You know about this portal."

Trying to seem brave, the boy rolled his eyes. "Everybody here knows about it, genius."

Skulker reached up a hand and made to pull away the hood covering his hair. Letting his instincts get the better of him, he stepped away from him before he could make contact.

The ghost smirked. "Afraid to let us see your face, child?"

The boy snorted. "Are you afraid to show yours, Skulkie?" He winced inwardly. _Argh, you idiot! Don't _taunt_ him! _Skulker's eyes narrowed. _Crap._

The ghost growled and reached out to grab him. A noise behind them stopped the impending fight. The halfa turned around just in time to see a green hole begin to open in seemingly nowhere. A whine started up and he knew he should back up, but something stopped him. He looked over his shoulder into Skulker's grinning face.

"Say hello to the humans, Halfa!" he shouted over the whining noise. He shoved the halfa just as a suction began, pulling towards the greenish hole. It became more powerful and pulled him in.

He screamed in agony as he felt himself being pulled into the human world in the most painful way, atom by atom. He saw a pair of sky blue eyes open wide in shock and fear drawing closer before he squeezed his own eyes shut. A scream joined his and he felt his atoms reforming.

It hurt. It hurt a lot…

* * *

**(1) Yeah, I don't know what that's officially called. That's my teachers said it was called, but my little brother said it's called criss-cross-applesauce. Ya see now why I went with mine ;) It's just sitting with his legs criss crossed.  
(2) That was actually me talking. I have no idea worth crap of what he should wear. If you got any ideas you'd be willing to share, I'm open for some fashion tips ;)  
(3) Not like-like, people. I don't know if anyone saw it like that, but i figured it was better safe than sorry. He's saying he doesn't like him as a friend and he wouldn't just go up to him and say hi. We all know that's going to change, though. :)**

**I chose the name David because i miss my friend I moved away from. I figured it was a nice way of remembering him (even if Phantom ditched the name). **

**I hope I didn't offend anyone with the speech talk. I've personally never saw it, so I have no opinion in the matter. I'm more like Phantom in that argument. Whatever you decide is fine by me. I just know it's a good speech filled with passion and such...**

**Bad Clockwork! Or poor Clockwork. I originally didn't have him in here, but I needed the scene between him and Phantom. It plays out in later chapters. Still a bit sad though...**

**The ending was a little rushed, but there wasn't really anything else to say. I wanted things to move fast anyway. **

**Thank you again for reviewing! Review again and I'll be very very grateful! Leave a review if you haven't already! Give me some tips on Phantom's clothing! Next chapter we finally get Danny and Phantom together! Tell me if there's another hole in my story, too! Thank you!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Life

**Thanks for all your reviews! I hadn't been sure if that chapter was very good or not. I guess that just proves you're your own worst critic ^_^ I think I should start replying to the replys, too. That's a good way to repay right? I should have started to a while ago. Now I can only answer the four from last chapter :( I'll be rambling otherwise.**

**Kiomori: **Don't feel bad for 'im. He goes through this stuff all the time ;) I didn't like putting him through it a whole lot, though. Especially the fight. He sees Clockwork as a father figure and...nevermind. You'll see next chapter. All but one ghost will be too afraid of going in after him. They think the Fentons got ahold of him. I'm glad you saw that :D Thanks for reviewing!

**DPcrazy:** Thank you! I like him changing his name too, even if it does get confusing sometimes. I'm not sure if I should end that soon or keep it going longer. I hope you like how my story does play out.

**Hawky Phantom: **Thanks! I'm really glad to hear that they're all IC! They don't seem like it so much to me when I type them :) They come out like that though, so Yay! I liked the Box Ghost part too. I started laughing a little in school when I wrote it. I got a lot of funny looks ;) I hope this chapter is as fun as you're hoping it will be. It was a bit awkward for me to write and I'm not all that satisfied with it. Let me know if they're still IC!

**Shadow1248: **The advertising was alright. It was kinda funny ;) I did check your story out and it looks good. Vlad raising a kid hehe. And yeah, I'll have Vlad in my story. He'll be later though. He's a fun guy to watch and read so I have to have him ;) I wish I'd thought of having it King_Tech now. Thanks for the review!

**Alright. I know this chapter's been long awaited, so I'm really nervous about it. I hate pressure, even if it does make me write better sometimes. I'm not sure how well this chapter came out. I know I like the next one a lot better though. Danny and Phantom do meet and you see how the portal's changed them, but they don't um...meet meet here. You'll see.  
As for what the portal does do to them, well, I hope you don't go jumping to the conclusion that I went a bit overboard. I have a logical basis for it. It's not just random "oh this will make it sound better" stuff. I hope you all like it!  
Oh and, a little warning, the third person POV changes a lot in the begining. I wanted to get both their perspectives. ...I talk too much.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom. Never have. Never will.**

* * *

Chapter 3  
Life

When the halfa woke, it was to a pounding head and very sore body. It felt as if he had gotten into a fight with Cujo, with him being his knew squeaky. He hadn't hurt so much since that _had_ happened. He groaned and tried to move his hands to his head to keep it from throbbing. Tried, but didn't succeed. He blinked his eyes open quickly.

Something was wrong.

He took a deep breath.

…Something was _very_ wrong.

_Ghosts don't breathe…_ he thought. He tried to focus his eyes, but he was too light headed. _Wha—_another breath and some of the light-headed feeling disappeared. His chest started to hurt and he forced it out. He took more breathes to clear it away completely, trying to establish a rhythm he'd seen the living have. It wasn't easy. He'd never learned to breathe before and didn't even understand how it was happening or why it was needed to happen for the living. It was loud, annoying, distracting, and…weird. It felt funny to have air inside his chest. And once you got it in you just blew it out? What was the point?

Finally, his head seemed satisfied and he opened his eyes again. He was staring up a metal ceiling with ectoplasmic covering. Some of the goo dripped down next to his head, splashing his face a little. So he was lying on his back. He hadn't been able to tell at first. His ghost nerves were too interested in the pain to give his brain coordination directions.

He started seeing spots.

_I shouldn't have to breathe,_ he thought indigently, taking a breath and letting it out. _I don't _want_ to._

He groaned again and rolled onto his stomach, intending to push himself up. It became harder to force air into his lungs, as if he were being squeezed. He frowned. _Gravity. I'm feeling gravity. Another ghost no-no,_ he told himself. He was about to push back at it, but a new feeling made itself known.

_**Thump.**_ He felt something move in his chest.

His eyes narrowed. _What was that?_

_**Thump.**_

His eyes widened. _No way…_

_**Thump.**_

_I can take gravity…_

_**Thump.**_

_I can get used to breathing…_

_**Thump.**_

_I can ignore the fact that I'm feeling cold…_

_**Thump.**_

_But I can NOT HAVE A FRICKEN HEARTBEAT!!_

_**Thump**__._

GAH!" he yelled in frustrated panic, pushing back against gravity. He heard a startled yelp and whirled around. His eyes got wide at what he saw.

_Maybe a heartbeat's not so bad…_ he thought, taking deep breaths to make sure his vision wasn't acting up.

* * *

Danny groaned weakly, getting to his hands and knees. He shook his head slightly and looked up. The first thing he saw was the portal. Instead of it being a long hole in the wall, a green, swirling, liquid wall covered the opening. The swirls were both beautiful and creepy at the same time. For some reason, Danny had to push down the temptation to reach out and touch it.

_Is it working? _He wondered. _Did I fix it? _He slowly smiled. _I think I did! Wait till I tell everyone!_

Movement to his right stopped his silent congratulations. He curiously turned his head…and froze. Someone was lying two feet from him on their stomach. Whoever it was, they were wearing a white cape and hood. Half of the cape was under their stomach, so Danny guessed they must have rolled over. He frowned and reached out to touch the person to see if they were alright. They'd been like that for about a minute.

"GAH!" the figure yelled all of a sudden, pushing off from the ground forcefully. Off, off. As in no long _on_ the ground. _Floating_ would be the right word.

Danny fell back on his butt with a startled yelp, looking at it with wide frightened eyes. _Tha-that's a-a g-ghost! _The ghost turned towards him, the white hood covering all but the lower half of its face. Green glowing eyes shining from under the shadow looked back at him with the same shocked expression as he was sure he was wearing. Their mouths were open as they gaped at each other.

They stayed there, staring at each other for a long, uncomfortable minute before the ghost cleared its throat self-consciously. "Well, um…hi?" Its voice echoed eerily in the basement.

Danny just blinked at it. _Hi? Just…hi?_

The ghost shifted uncomfortably and so did Danny. The ghost was staring at him with such intensity Danny felt for sure he was trying to see right through him. A frown started to grow on the ghost's face. Danny frowned also.

_Why aren't you attacking?_ he thought curiously.

The ghost blinked in confusion and sunk a bit lower to the ground. Danny tensed. "What was that?" the ghost asked.

Danny blinked and frowned at it. "What?"

"You said something," it replied.

He shook his head. "No I didn't."

The ghost frowned, its eyes narrowing slightly, sending a chill up Danny's spine. It let itself land on the ground. Or, that must have been its intention. What really happened was its legs gave out as soon as its feet hit the ground. The ghost fell face first onto the floor with a startled cry.

Danny forgot it was a ghost temporarily and got up to his feet, about to help the ghost up. He stopped, though. _What are you doing, Fenton? This is a ghost!_ He bit his lip and watched as the ghost got weakly to its hands and knees. Its arms shook from the effort of holding itself up. _Ah screw it!_ He rushed over to the ghost's side.

He grabbed its arms and helped it to stand. The strange feeling he'd felt in the tunnel came back ten fold and he looked more closely at the ghost. It looked back at him in surprise at having been helped up.

"Um," Danny started, feeling he should say something. "Why'd you fall?"

It frowned at him slightly. "Gravity," it replied simply.

"Gravity?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

It nodded. It hesitated before adding, "I…I'm not used to it."

"Oh." That meant it hadn't been to the human world since its death. So it wasn't one of the ghosts intent on world domination. _That doesn't mean it's not dangerous, _he reminded himself. (1)

He felt cold air brush against his face and looked back at the ghost with wide eyes. _Did it just…breathe?_

* * *

_I hate gravity,_ the halfa ghost complained, staring back at his human half. _I hate having to breathe,_ he added, seeing Danny's eyes widen when he was forced to exhale. _Glowing_ blue eyes. _I suppose I shouldn't be complaining, though. I don't think he's even realized something's wrong with himself yet. He can't be dead, because then I wouldn't be here, but…_

He made the atoms of his arms become misty to phaze out of the human boy's grasp. Gravity hit him without Danny's support. He pushed back at it again to keep from repeating the incident. There was no need for Danny to know he had a ghost half.

…He wasn't being compassionate. He just didn't want to complicate his own life.

He turned away from him and faced the portal. The wild ecto-energies swirled around in a controlled circular pattern. He frowned as he took in the appearance of a lab and its completely unnatural Ghost Portal.

_The portal was planned. Created, _he thought, his eyes narrowing. _Why?...Clockwork must have known all along…Why didn't he say anything?_

"Did you just breathe?"

He turned back to Danny, an eyebrow raised, though he couldn't see. "What?"

"Did you breathe just now?" the human repeated.

The ghost unconsciously raised a hand to his slowly beating chest. _If only that wasn't my only problem._ "Maybe. Why?"

Danny frowned. "Ghosts can't breathe."

"No," the halfa corrected, "ghosts _don't_ breathe. We can if we want." _Well, sorta, but he doesn't need to know about halfas. Of course, halfa ghosts don't _have_ to breathe in order to keep from seeing spots…_

"But…you're dead," he persisted.

The ghost suddenly sped over to him until he was two inches away from his face. He didn't notice Danny tense at his sudden action. He looked him straight in the eyes as he said, "Here's some advice, kid. Don't remind ghosts that they're dead. Believe it or not, they have feelings and the reason they haunt the human world is because they don't want to think about being dead. _So don't remind them!" _(2)

Danny shrunk back in sudden fear, but shook it off and glared at him. "Well there's no need to yell at me! It's not like I knew that!"

The ghost scoffed and crossed his arms. "You humans are supposed to be _compassionate_. How'd you think we'd feel after dying? That we'd just roll over and accept it and have no remorseful feelings about something like that?"

"Well, usually we're too busy trying to stop ghosts from destroying our homes to have any _compassionate_ feelings for your kind!" he shouted back.

"Oh, and you think that's all there is to being a ghost? Destroying your world? Self-centered much?"

Danny opened and closed his mouth, looking for something to retort with. The human's eyes were flared with light and his face was flushed. He didn't realize it, but he looked like a halfa ghost just now. His ghost half, meanwhile, had his head cocked and was looking at him curiously.

He wasn't as upset with the human as he had let on. He was…enjoying himself. He liked arguing with him…but it was a stupid argument. He just liked that he could vent his feelings and not have to worry about exposing his secret. He never did it to Clockwork, and he had to keep up an image around other ghosts. It felt good to just let his feelings do the talking.

Danny stopped sputtering and was returning the ghost's look. His eyebrows rose and the ghost belatedly realized that he'd be able to see more of his face with his eyes glowing like that. He quickly backed up and began looking at the lab again. If he'd been thinking straight, he would have flown back into the portal, but his human half's presence was throwing him off a bit. He had planned on never meeting him.

"Why are you wearing a hood?" Danny asked him suddenly.

_Oh boy._ "Do you ever stop asking questions?" he retorted angrily.

"No. Why is it white?"

The halfa growled and was about to tell him to mind his own business, when what he'd asked sank in. "What?"

Danny opened his mouth, but didn't say anything. His eyes were trained on the portal behind the halfa. The ghost turned around and froze also._ Not good. What is he doing?_ He looked at the whirling ecto-energies allowing the mechanical arms and legs to come through. _Duh…_ He turned invisible and hoped he couldn't be sensed.

* * *

_What the hell is that?!_ Danny cried inside his mind. He felt all color drain from his face as the large mechanical suit looked his way as soon as it had made it out of the portal. It raised an arm and seemed to be reading something. Danny was too frozen in fear to really take notice.

The ghost—for it had stepped out of the Ghost Portal—was at least six feet tall, not counting the foot high flaming green hair. Its eyes were green with no irises and its "teeth" were unequal sizes. It wore a mechanical suit that looked as if it could pull just about anything out of it. The ghost already had jet rockets out. And he now had out a bazooka…pointed right at Danny. (AN-I'm not so good at describing)

"Uh…" Danny drawled. "Is that _really_ necessary?"

"My sensors indicate that you are a very unique halfa ghost, child," the ghost said, a small smile on its helmet. "A beating heart and a warm body temperature. You're practically human." (3 )

He frowned. "Uh, dude, I _am_ a human."

The ghost looked at him with slightly raised eyebrow…bolts? "You don't really think that, do you, Halfa?"

"What's a halfa?" Danny asked, his frown increasing and his head tilting to the side.

It frowned. "Are you serious? You don't know what you are?"

Danny started to glare. He was letting his curiosity and frustration get the better of him. "I _know_ what a human is. I want to know what a _halfa_ is."

The ghost stared at him in surprise. It blinked a few times before smiling again. "No matter. Whether you're delusional or not, you'll be joining my collection." The gun started humming and Danny's eyes widened as he remembered his danger. "Say good bye to this world, Halfa Child."

A green ecto-blast suddenly came from behind Danny. It hit the ghost squarely in the chest and sent it flying back through the portal. Danny turned around to his savior, expecting to see his parents or Valerie. He wasn't expecting to see the ghost from before floating two feet behind him and looking at his now-smoking green hand. It had a wide eyed look on its face as if it hadn't been expecting anything to come out of it.

"How did that happen?" he heard it mutter.

"What?" Danny asked it. "How did what happen? You're a ghost! Ecto-blasts come naturally."

The ghost looked up at him. "Yeah, but…I'm…I'm not…"

The mechanical ghost all of a sudden burst through the portal again, looking incredibly angry. Its green eyes searched the room, trying to find the ghost who'd shot him. Danny looked around also and was only slightly surprised to find the ghost had disappeared. The metal ghost, finding no ghost, settled for glaring at Danny.

"Where is he, Halfa?" it demanded.

Danny blinked. He blurted without thinking, "He who?"

The ghost took a menacing step towards him. "Don't toy with me, child! Where is the ghost who shot me?" Danny didn't answer. The ghost growled. "The ghost wearing a black cape."

Danny frowned. "Black cape?"

"Yes, child, a black cape. Where is he?!"

Danny's eyes narrowed. He didn't know who the ghost who first appeared was, but it—he had saved him. He wasn't just going to turn him over to this…murderous ghost in stupid armor. "Not a clue," he stated, crossing his arms and raising his chin a little. He wasn't lying. The ghost was wearing a _white_ cape.

The ghost growled and raised an arm pointed at Danny. A net shot out of it at him, knocking him off his feet and halfway across the lab. He screamed as the net sent shocks through him. He heard screaming next to him and weakly opened his eyes to see the cape wearing ghost on his hands and knees beside him, one hand resting over his own chest as if something was hurting him.

"Well, well," the mechanical ghost stated ominously, walking towards them. "It would seem I was right about you being a halfa, whelp." It stopped when it was looming over both of them. The shocks had finally stopped and Danny feebly looked at the two ghosts in confusion. The taller ghost had its head tilted to the side as it looked at the ghost on the ground with smug satisfaction. It got down on one knee and reached out to pull the hood off the ghost's head. Danny saw the smaller one tense and try to back away, but the bigger was too fast and had already grabbed the hood. It yanked it down.

Danny's jaw dropped as he looked at a face that was practically his own. The only differences he could see between them were that the ghost had green eyes and white hair. Well, and it was glowing and had pale skin, but that just came with being a ghost. A shiver went through him. There was something familiar besides the face…

His ghost twin glared up at the machine ghost who looked completely dumfounded. The bigger ghost was shaking its head, its eyes wide as it stared down at the smaller. "What? But I thought…what is going on?!" it demanded.

Instead of answering, Danny's look-alike raised a hand and shot an ectoblast at it, pushing it away from them. He then reached into the net for Danny, turning him intangible, and pulling him out. He helped him to his feet, all the while keeping a wary eye on the stunned ghost fifteen feet away.

"What is his _problem_?" he demanded of no one.

"Um, your…face?" Danny suggested, still staring in surprise at the ghost boy's face. They looked even more similar closer up. Same height, same cheekbones, same nose, same…scar on their necks…

He gave Danny an askance look—a _lot_ like the one Danny had given Valerie earlier that day. "He's been trying to see my face—well, hair, actually—for years now."

"Well, maybe he didn't see what he'd expected." _I certainly didn't._

The boy frowned at him before his eyes widened slightly and he gave Danny a look over. He forgot his scrutinizing and whipped his head back in the direction of the other ghost. It had gotten up and was now staring at them in curiosity, an arm raised. It looked down at it as if it was reading something again. It looked back up at them and smiled. Danny shivered and he felt the ghost beside him do the same.

"It seems that trip through the portal did something more to you than it should have, Halfa Children," it said with a smirk. "You are both _very_ unique indeed." Its smile turned malicious and both boys took an involuntary step back. It pulled out another gun from his shoulder, this one a rocket launcher.

The ghost boy was the first to snap out of their paralyses. He grabbed Danny's arm and flew/yanked him away from the incoming missiles. They landed on the ground (well, the human did) by the scrap pile. Danny stared up at his floating form. He couldn't help it. It was just so strange to see himself looking like that.

The ghost looked back at him out of the corner of his eye. He sighed in exasperation. "I know it's a bit overwhelming, but you have to focus right now. I'll explain everything as soon as shortstuff over there is gone."

The metal ghost—who definitely was _not_ short—narrowed his eyes, but Danny nodded, accepting his word. He ignored his questions and focused on the battle to come. He had to. It was either that or be killed, or whatever it was this ghost had planned.

* * *

Although the halfa ghost's head was spinning in confusion, he concentrated on the battle about to begin. He could tell Danny had done the same because he no longer had a dazed look on his face and was instead studying Skulker. Skulker was in turn analyzing them. A fourteen year old human staring down the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter. The ghost halfa would have found it funny, if not for the trouble about to come.

Instead of starring Skulker down like Danny was doing, he searched the terrain. He may have somehow gotten a "power boost" along with the human functions, but he didn't know how much power he had gotten and he wasn't about to just charge into the fight without any advantage. Skulker was a very strong ghost and the halfa had learned caution after all those years in the ghost zone…well, he liked to believe so, anyway.

The basement/lab was rectangular, but its corners were blocked with junk. In the middle of the floor (right to the left of him and Danny) was a great big pile of discarded scrap metal and wires. There were some stray shocks shooting from the end of some, but they were green so he didn't dare touch them. There were inventions on the counters, too, but he didn't know how to use any of them or what they did, and frankly, he'd rather not be his own test subject.

If anyone was going to use this lab as an advantage, it'd have to be Danny.

Skulker decided then he had enough staring and he shot at the halfas with his rockets again. The ghost boy also repeated by grabbing Danny and flying him out of harm's way.

"Don't do what you did before!" he heard Danny yell at him.

By that, he meant don't land again, the ghost presumed. He nodded and flew them up higher until he was almost touching the ceiling, holding Danny by the arms. Danny was holding onto the arms holding him up so hard his nails were leaving imprints. His ghost half winced. _I take it you're afraid of heights?_ He couldn't help but think at him as rockets exploded on the ground right where he had originally planned to take them

Danny gave him a dark look. He frowned back at him before refocusing on the ground. Skulker just realized his plan had been foiled—at least that was the halfa ghost's guess since he looked frustrated—and had begun messing with some commands on his mechanical suit.

"Any ideas?" the ghost asked his human half. "Is there anything your parents invented here that would contain him or stop him or…something?"

"Why don't you just shoot at him?" Danny asked.

"Because I don't know how powerful I am," he replied. "I could be as weak as you."

Danny ignored the insult and instead gave him an incredulous look. "You shot him twice and both times he went flying back from the force."

"He was surprised."

"He wasn't the second time."

"No, he was stunned the second time."

The human gave him a hard look before sighing in exasperation. "You know you really need to work on your self confidence." The ghost glared at him. Danny ignored it and pointed down to the counter on the right with his foot. "Over there is where Dad puts his finished or almost finished inventions."

The ghost nodded to show he understood. He looked back at their enemy and warned, "Skulker's the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter. The more time he has to analyze us, the harder it'll be to get out in one piece. We'll have to finish this as quickly as possible. I'll distract him while you get an invention to use against him." Danny nodded grimly. "This'll probably be our last break. Anything to say?"

"Just that you better explain when this is all over."

_Yeah, if this ever gets over with us still wearing our skin,_ he though pessimistically.

As if reading his thoughts, his human half said, "We should be able to pull this off. We'll get out of this."

"Hmm." Skulker looked up at them and smiled. "Here we go, Danny!" Danny blinked and opened his mouth, but the ghost canceled what he was going to say by speeding quickly down towards the ground as two explosions went off above their heads. The ghost flew over the "invention table" and dropped Danny. He stayed just long enough to see that he hadn't been hurt before charging at Skulker.

He dodged the newly fired shots by flying around them and rammed into Skulker, knocking him against the wall. Skulker grabbed his ankle just as he began to pull away. He slammed him down onto the ground, knocking the air he was compelled to breathe in out. Before he could get his second wind, the more experienced ghost grabbed his cape—_Huh, it _is_ white—_and tossed him over to the invention table. He slammed into all the inventions (miraculously not setting off any of them) and fell with half of them landing on him and the floor.

Danny looked down at him, an eyebrow raised. "You know, you're not doing such a good job."

"_You know, you're not doing such a good job, fear me."_ The ghost turned his glare away from the human and to the blinking machine in his lap.

"Oh, shut it," he muttered to it and Danny, shoving the small contraption and the rest of the inventions off him.

"_Oh, shut it. I am a ghost. Fear me."_

"You broke it," Danny accused.

"Now's not the time, Danny," the ghost scolded, pushing gravity off him and charging at Skulker again.

"He's big and bulky. You need to use speed!" he heard Danny tell him, though he was already practically on top of Skulker. He nodded none the less and dived down under Skulker's punch and flew between his legs. He rushed up behind him and back down over him as Skulker whipped his arm out behind him to hit the halfa. The boy, skimming over the floor now, reversed direction to head back to Skulker, dodging his wild shots at him in wild chaotic patterns. Skulker, expecting him to keep flying circles around him, tried to grab him again when he was close enough. The halfa had other plans and instead raised his hands and shot ectoblasts at him. Skulker was slammed into the wall again, though he wasn't as stunned as he was before. The halfa got out of his easy reach, but stayed close enough that his guns weren't much use.

_Hurry up, Danny,_ he thought, nervously looking at the hunter. _I wont be able to continue to distract him forever...Oh, duh!_

He floated a foot above Skulker, his arms crossed leisurely and a false smug smirk on. "Gee, Skulker. And here I thought _I_ was the weak one. Are you _sure_ you're the Ghost Zone's _greatest_ hunter?" The older ghost's eyes narrowed dangerously. "'Cause I always that that meant actually _hurting_ your prey, not _being_ hurt by the prey." Skulker growled angrily and lunged at him. He easily dodged with a little help from intangibility. He spun around so he was still facing him. "Slow much, Skulkie?" he taunted him. "Maybe you should ditch the suit." Skulker shot a rocket at him which he easily dodged. "It seems to be slowing you down. I know it can't be _you_! You're what? Two ounces?"

Skulker roared furiously and shot him with a wrist gun. The halfa hadn't expected the gun or the roar and was thrown back into the scrap pile by the blast. Without his concentration—and with some of those wires shocking him—gravity hit him full force and he let out his gathered breath in exasperation. A shadow fell over him and he looked up at Skulker's furious face.

"You're going to regret that, Whelp," he growled at him. He pointed his arm at him and he knew it for the arm that shot out ghost nets.

"Move!" he heard Danny shout. Not questioning the command, the halfa instantly evaporated into the ground. He came back up beside Danny just in time to see Skulker get sucked into a small natural-looking portal. "This isn't over, Whelps!" he yelled at them right before it poofed out of existence.

There was an awkward silence as the human and his ghost stood (or floated in one case) side by side.

The ghost coughed uncomfortably and said, "Took you long enough." Danny gave him an incredulous look. "What? You were at that table for, like, five minutes."

Danny huffed and set his bazooka gun down on the ground, easily accessed, but still not threatening. "Mom, Dad, and Red take all the guns with them. I only got this because it's a prototype."

The halfa ghost stared at him with raised eyebrows. "You mean you sent Skulker back to the Ghost Zone with an unfinished invention?" Danny nodded, smiling triumphantly. The ghost burst out laughing. "Oh! I cannot wait to spread that one around. 'The Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter gets canned by a fourteen year old human and a nonworking invention!' Ha! That halfa rumor's got nothing on that!"

Danny tilted his head to the side as he studied the ghost. "Right, so…what is a halfa?"

The ghost bit his lip and shifted uncomfortably. Should he tell him? He did say he would. "Umm…"

"_**Ding**_"

"_Saved by the bell" or something like it,_ he thought with relief, mentally wiping his brow.

* * *

Danny groaned at the interruption but made his way over to the computer and sat down on the chair. He looked over his shoulder at the ghost floating there. "You won't go, right? You said you'd explain." The ghost raised his eyebrows, surprised. He smiled slightly and nodded. Danny smiled back in relief and turned back to the screen.

_Tech_King: "Danny? u there?"_

_Huntrs'son: "yea, im here tuck"_

_Tech_King: "did u check out the portal?"_

_Huntrs'son: "yup__"_

_Tech_King: "…so what happened?"_

"Are you going to tell him?" the ghost reading over his shoulder asked him.

Danny scowled at him. "First Val and now you." He began pushing him away, only slightly surprised his hands didn't just fall through him. "Go mind your own business."

The ghost huffed. "What am I _supposed_ to do?" He looked around the lab and shivered. Danny raised an eyebrow at that. "This place isn't the most…comforting."

Danny sighed. "I don't know. Just…um…"

The ghost's eyes lit up suddenly and he shook his head. "I'll find something to do. Don't stress that brain of yours." Danny frowned a bit at him as he flew over to the counter his dad's finished inventions were.

_Huntrs'son: "well…it didnt go as planned"_

_Tech_King: "omg! U didn't destroy it did u?!"_

_Huntrs'son: "what? no! I got it working"_

_Tech_King: "…u weren't inside it were u?"_

_Huntrs'son: "um…"_

_Tech_King: "omg! u were, werent u?! r u alright?!"_

_Huntrs'son: "I'm still in one piece. the strange thing is what happened after wards"_

_**Crash!**_

"I didn't do it!" He turned around and stared at the ghost floating above a smashed invention on the ground. "It…was…um, like that…"

_"…like that…I am a ghost. Fear me."_ The ghost growled down at the not-so-broken-it-wouldn't-work-invention. His hands started to smoke green.

Danny rolled his eyes and turned back to the computer.

_Tech_King: "so tell me what happened already!"_

_Huntrs'son: "two ghosts came out of it"_

_Tech_King: "Danny…"_

_Huntrs'son: "I'm serious! one of them looks just like me! but with white hair and green eyes"_

_Tech_King: "uv got to be kidding"_

"I have _white_ hair?" Danny jumped a little at the sudden voice behind him.(4) He looked up at the ghost. "My hair's white?"

"Yeah. Don't you guys have mirrors in the Ghost Zone," he replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but…" he trailed off.

"Don't tell me, you're hair was black before you came here," Danny said, starting to get amused.

"No it wasn't, actually," the ghost replied. He looked down at his cape. "Hmm." He floated away and Danny once again returned to the computer.

_Huntrs'son: "Im not kidding tuck. hes kind of weird though"_

_Tech_King: "weird how?"_

_Huntrs'son: "well, his personality isnt really weird. He acts a lot like us, but he just…i don't know. Theres just something strange about him"_

_Tech_King: "Well, the next time u see him…wait a minute! u talked to a _ghost_!"_

_Huntrs'son: "Yeah"_

_Tech_King: "And u werent vaporized?!"_

…

_Huntrs'son: "He says he finds that a little insulting"_

_Tech_King: "HE'S RIGHT THERE?!"_

_Huntrs'son: "Sorta…he just went upstairs"_

_Tech_King: "He could kill you Danny!"_

_Huntrs'son: "i don't think so tuck. he saved me from that other ghost"_

_Tech_King: "he _saved_ u?"_

_Huntrs'son: "u're not going to get over-protective like everyone else, are u?"_

_Tech_King: "Well excuse me for worrying. what happened with the other ghost?"_

_Huntrs'son: "Long story short, he said we were both very unique halfas because of the portal and that he was going to add us to his collection, whatever that means."_

_Tech_King: "so the ghost who looks like u sent him back to the GZ?"_

_Huntrs'son: "No, I did that while he played distraction."_

_Tech_King: "o. What are halfas?"_

_Huntrs'son: "I don't know. He was just about to tell me when u got on."_

_Tech_King: "Heh, sorry. So how did your parents and the Huntress take this?"_

Danny's eyes widened. _Oh my gosh! I totally forgot about them! _He started to get up, but a cold hand on his shoulder pushed him back down. He looked up at the ghost in surprise.

The ghost handed him a piece of paper. "I found it on the kitchen table. No need to thank me."

"Uh," Danny stumbled. He decided to just roll with it. He read the paper.

_Huntrs'son: "jazz and red took my parents out to cheer them up. they werent here when all this happened"_

_Tech_King: "that doesnt make me feel good for some reason. Are u sure that portal didnt hurt u?"_

_Huntrs'son: "Yes tuck. i'm fine"_

_Tech_King: "Okay"_

"Define fine," the ghost next to him said nervously.

Danny gave him an odd look. "Why? What's wrong?"

He bit his lip and looked around the room for a moment. He flew over to the scrap pile and picked up a shiny scrap of metal. He muttered something about gravity being a pain before he flew back with it to Danny. The ghost looked down at his reflection, his brows creased. "Well, I didn't come out of the portal like I did going through it, Danny. I had a black cape and clothes on and some of my hair was black." He looked up at the human, looking slightly apologetic. "I also didn't need to breathe and I certainly didn't feel gravity." He turned the scrap metal around so Danny could see his own reflection. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he looked at it.

Like the ghost, his clothes had been inverted. His once white jumpsuit was now pure black with the gloves, insignia, boots, collar, and belt being white. Danny didn't care about that, though. What drew his attention was his face. His skin was glowing slightly now. It wasn't as bright as the cape ghost's glow, but it was there. His hair was almost the same as it had been. Most of it was black. The tips, however, were white. His eyes were the real shocker, though. They glowed with an inner light, making him look really ethereal. He didn't even look like himself!

"The funny thing is you look like a negative copy of me before the portal accident and since we're—oof!"

* * *

The halfa ghost caught Danny with an "oof" as he fainted. The scrap metal he'd been holding clattered down to the floor, making a loud bang and causing him to wince. He laid Danny on the floor before gravity forced him to just let him fall.

A ring of light suddenly appeared around the human's waist and separated into two. The ghost watched, fascinated, as the now two rings traveled their separate ways up and down Danny's body. Where the light passed over Danny, things returned to normal. His face lost its glow, his white hair tips darkened to black, and his clothes returned to being white dominate.

It was only after a light ring passed over the ghost's own eyes that he realized the same thing had happened to him. He looked down at himself. His clothes and cape were once again black. He pulled his bangs down and grinned in satisfaction at seeing black tips. (5)

"_**Ding**_"

_Tech_King: Danny? u still there?"_

The halfa looked between Danny and the computer before sighing. _My life is a mess._

* * *

**(1) Either Danny's right about ghosts feeling gravity or Phantom is. I haven't decided. Phantom wouldn't know because he's lived his whole life in the GZ where there is no gravity and Danny hasn't exactly sat a ghost down to talk to 'em. So i can go either way.  
(2) Phantom's just taking all his frustration and confusion out on Danny here. Danny just became his outlet. For shame, Phantom ;)  
****(3) Skulker's suit can't sense whether someones a halfa or not. Danny just looks like a halfa ghost and his suit is saying his heart's beating and such so...  
(4) Gees Danny, jump when someone speaks next to your ear but turn a blind eye when you hear a crash? Your parents have you well trained ;)  
(5) Three things. One is that they changed at the same time. This means that one of 'em has to be looking like a halfa while the other has be a full ghost or human. Second is I don't know if I should keep the light ring. The "real" Danny has it in the show, but this is a different circumstance and the change isn't so dramatic. Lastly, I know Danny should probably revert back into his normal clothes, but that would mean Phantom would have to too...and he doesn't have any other clothes. He's not going to walk around naked!**

**Well, I just gave away one of the changes. One halfa and one human or ghost at all times. No exception. This restricts their movements. I wanted to keep that part of the story. What fun would Danny's life be if he didn't skip school and get home late, huh? ;)  
The other change, the human attributes and power boost for Phantom, there's a reason why it's possible. I left clues, but if you need more help, reread chapter two. I'm not going to ruin it. Nope. Not this time :)**

**I hope none of you hate how I've gone with this. I'm sure it'll be fun, so please stick with me through it :]**

**Oh, and I was going to end the chapter after Skulker went back to the GZ or when Danny fainted, but that left a few too many questions unanswered.**

**The fight with Skulker was...annoying. I'm not very good at action scenes and I had to get my brother to help me with it a little (even though all he really did was make me laugh, drive me insane, and give me some suggestions on insults, which I didn't use. What? He got rid of the block.) I did alright with it, right? Eh, it seems hiccup-y to me. Skulker stopped a lot during the fight to mess with his "computer" because I noticed in the show that he always liked to watch and stratigize his prey/course of action before he attacked. It gave me a chance to show Danny and Phantom bonding a little through the battle. Next time he fights them though, he wont do that. He'll have all the info he needs.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	6. Choice

**Hey everybody! I'm sorry this is late. I'd had the chapter done on time, but I didn't like the direction it took and had to start over. This ones better for the overall story, I think. **

**I got six reviews this time! Awsome! Thank you all!  
Shadow1248: **Thanks! Nice to know I'm not the only one who has trouble with 'em. I think I did a lot better with this one. As for the Phantom confusion, he's not _really_ a full ghost. They just look like they're full ghost or human. I always saw Phantom on the show as having to breathe too, and that's what I based it on. This Phantom's problem is a lot like what Danny goes through in the show ;)  
**LadyLasa: **Thanks! I'm glad you like it.  
**Pixie dust of doom:** Yeah, I thought about having them in one body for a while, but I thought it would be more fun with them being two "seperate" people. I hope my upcoming chapters answer you questions. If not, feel free to ask. I'm fairly sure this one answers some of them. Thanks for reviewing!  
**DPcrazy: **I'm glad you liked it so much! It was the hardest chapter I've had to write so far. I liked the heart thing too :D Thanks for leaving your review!  
**Thunderstorm101: **Wow. I hadn't thought of that...well the part about Phantom taking half the shock but not about the clothing thing. And thanks for answering my question. That makes sense for it to be dimmer. Not sure how i'll explain that, though. Yup. Danny is producing ecto-energies. Just not as much as Phantom can. Not a lot compared to ghosts, but a lot compared to humans. He'll find his own way to help out with them. Also, they can both call forth the transformation. The difference though is that they will automatically revert if Danny passes out, but Phantom can faint and the transformation would remain the same. It has to do with Danny being human. Thanks for reviewing and I hope I answered all your questions. Big reviews are fun to read :)  
**Woken Laughing: **Thanks! I like Clockwork too and I plan to bring him back at some time. Glad you like it!

**I think the chapter will raise just as many questions as it answers. Let me know if it does. I hope you all like the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 4  
Choice

It took a while for the ghost to figure out the strange machine. He'd seen how Danny did it, but he wasn't exactly studying how he did. The keyboard was simple enough; just press the button of the letter you wanted to appear. He could make whole sentences no problem. It was when he had to "send" the sentence that he got confused. Of course, the little "send" button at the bottom of the window helped a bit. He got another impatient message from Tech_King before he actually got things working.

_Huntrs'son: "Define here…"_

_Tech_King: "what is that suppose to mean?"_

_Huntrs'son: "Well, Danny's here, but…he's kinda passed out…"_

_Tech_King: "What?…u're that ghost! What'd u do to him?!"_

The halfa glared angrily at the computer.

_Huntrs'son: "_I _didn't _do_ anything! He just passed out!"_

_Tech_King: "Why'd he pass out then?"_

_Huntrs'son: "Because the _portal_ messed him up."_

_Tech_King: "Oh"_

_Huntrs'son: "Yea. Oh. A sorry would be nice, but that's a bit much, huh?"_

_Tech_King: "Well you don't need to get huffy about it."_

_Huntrs'son: "Whatever. Look, what do I do with him?"_

_Tech_King: "Wha's that?"_

_Huntrs'son: "He fainted and he's lying on the hard, icy floor. You can't tell me that's what you're supposed to do; just leave him there."_

_Tech_King: "…why do you even care?"_

_Huntrs'son:"I'm sure he'll tell you when I explain it to him. Suffice it to say, it's in my best interests to keep him alive."_

_Tech_King: "The Fentons and the Red Huntress don't take well to kidnapping."_

_Huntrs'son: "You are _SO _lucky I don't know how to travel through this stupid box thing."_

_Tech_King: "…You mean the computer?"_

_Huntrs'son: "If that's what you call it."_

_Tech_King: "Just how old are you, dude?"_

_Huntrs'son: The same age as Danny."_

_Tech_King: "…exactly?"_

…

_Huntrs'son: "Do I just bring him up to his room?"_

_Tech_King: "Huh? Yeah. Get a wet wash cloth and put it on his forehead too."_

_Huntrs'son: "Alright. Thanks. Bye."_

_Tech_King: "Wait! What—"_

The ghost didn't read the rest. He looked down at Danny and let out a tired sigh. Even though the ghost's clothes and hair had returned to normal, he hadn't. He still felt his nonexistent heart beating inside him and he could feel gravity just waiting for his concentration to break. Every time he picked something up, he felt it on the object or person pushing _them_ down. Doubtless, when he tried to carry Danny up to his room, the gravity would make things difficult.

He sighed again and shrugged. _Nowhere to go but up,_ he thought. He looked up at the presumed location of Danny's room._ In more ways than one._ He didn't know how the house was set up. All he knew was that the lab was in the basement, led up to the kitchen, and the bedrooms were on the second floor.

He pulled up his hood and kneeled down by Danny.

"Maddie, Jack! I'm sure the portal can wait a few seconds! Hey! Come back here!"

He froze, his hand reaching towards his human half. _That was the hunter girl's voice. Maddie and Jack…Those are my parents' names! They're home! I gotta get outta here! _Footsteps came racing down the stairs before he could even move a muscle. He saw a black haired man dressed in a bright orange jumpsuit and a small auburn haired woman in a teal one stop at the bottom of the stairs. _Too late. _

He was caught by his parents, reaching out towards their unconscious son in the midst of slightly destroyed lab that looked as if it had been a battle sight. Technically, a battle really had happened here. But by the look he saw in their eyes, they had assumed the worst about him.

For his part, he was so shocked by his parents' appearance his brain had shut down and he was completely frozen. His hand fell onto his human half's chest as a result. The parents instantly froze as worry passed across their faces, their hands slowly leaving the ecto-guns at their waists.

They stayed there, staring at each other for different reasons. The parents, obviously, were anxious about what a ghost could and (in their mind) would do to their son. While they wanted to blast him apart, they didn't want to risk him hurting Danny. The ghost was staring at them because…well, they were his parents but they wanted to rip him apart while he wanted to hug them or to run away and hide. He wasn't sure which.

They were in an indecisive standstill, at the moment.

No such reservations for the third hunter coming down the stairs, though.

"Get away from him!" The Red Huntress—minus the wonder-get—shot at him, hitting him square in the chest and sending him into a painful impact with the metal wall. Heart jolted, lungs emptied, and gravity attacking, he slid down and lay limp on the floor as residue shocks went through him.

"Oww," he moaned, placing a hand over his chest. A shock traveled from it to his hand, causing him to wince. _Not to self: Don't piss off vengeful girl._

There was a humming next to his ear and he glanced over to see a rather large, slightly glowing green hole gaping at him. "What have you done to my son, Spook?!" he heard his father yell. He made a mistake. His eyes traveled up the bazooka to his dad's angry and determined face. Sadly, the shocks running through his body weren't helping to kick his mind into gear. He just stared at him. "Answer me!"

He forced his mouth to move. "I-I didn't _do_ anything," he whispered, unable to speak louder. The dad growled, not liking his answer. The ghost cringed away a little. That wasn't a "normal" human trait. They usually had to be really angry to do it.

However, the action, while a bit creepy and unsettling, was at least familiar to him.

He gave himself a mental kick in the rear and ducked the attack. He jumped and rolled to the side as his mother tried her own shot at him. From there, he was absorbed in a never ending game of "dodgeball" with the ecto-blasts from the guns.

They weren't aware of it, but they were pushing him farther and farther away from his best escape route. The portal.

The huntress must have guessed that to be his next destination, though, because while his parents were shooting at him, she ran across the lab and was now standing in front of the portal, her gun aimed at him again. He looked back at the stairs to see his mom blocking that escape route, too. Of course, he could just fly up through the ceiling. He flew up quickly, turning intangible, only to hit the ceiling head-on and get a little shock for his attempt…Then again.

Glowing green light with shock waves running down it in waves had covered the ceiling and walls. He hadn't noticed it before. He rubbed his head and looked back down at the humans. More shots were fired and he was again forced to exercise his agility. He flew all over the place, making sure he had no specific pattern and he never flew in one direction for very long. The hunters were used to ghosts trying to fight back so they would have a relatively still opponent. But he was canceling that little daydream. They couldn't get any more hits on him.

"Quit moving, Spook!" Jack shouted, his shot flying harmlessly to said spook's left.

"I'm not _stupid_," he shouted dryly. He let gravity have its way sop he dropped towards the ground when all three hunters shot at once. The ecto-plasm collided and exploded. The ghost quickly flew into the resulting green cloud. He turned invisible and left it just as more ecto-gun shots were fired into the cloud.

"You could have fooled us, Ghost," Valerie said, smugly triumphant.

"Well, you are easy to fool," he said next to her ear. She gasped and tried to spin around to shoot him, but he grabbed her gun and tore it from her grasp. He threw it into the air and blasted it to pieces(1). She growled--_what is_ with _these people?!_--and tried to kick his head, but he became intangible before she made contact. He blasted the floor at her feet, creating another small explosion that sent her flying back away from the portal.

He was about to fly through it, but he was hit again and sent into the wall right next to it. "Ah, come on!" he cried, getting to his feet.

"You're not going anywhere, phantom," his mom said ominously. A chill ran down his spine, though he refused to show it. His parents were advancing on either side of him, cornering him. "Now tell me what you did to my boy, you ectoplasmic scumbag!"(2)

_Alright, that's it! _His fists clenched and he growled at them, feeling his eyes burn as his ecto-energies spiked, lighting them from within. He was absently satisfied to see the three hunters take a step back. Valerie shook her head and shot at him. He shot the incoming blast with his own, causing another small explosion. "Quit shooting at me!" he yelled. They blinked at him. "I am having the worst day of my life! I don't need _you_ all making it even _worse_!" No one moved for a moment. "All I want to do is go back home!"

"Then why'd you hurt Danny?" Valerie demanded angrily.

He scowled at them. "I _didn't_ hurt him. Point of fact, I _saved_ him. He _fainted_. I was gonna _carry_ him up to his room when you and Mr. and Mrs. Trigger-Happy came down here being all....trigger-happy!"

"Yeah right," his mom scoffed. "Don't lie to us. We're not so easily fooled.

His fists started shaking. "Why even bother asking me what I supposedly did when you won't even believe me?!"

"Because ghosts need to be _persuaded_ to tell the truth," she replied coldly. They glared at each other. Maddie must have been made of pretty tough stuff since she was able to stare him down with his eyes glowing like they were. They were called scary eyes for a reason.

"Maddie." The ghost and mother looked at the father. "It…It's breathing."

The ghost froze, his eyes wide. He hadn't been paying attention to it earlier, but he _was_ breathing pretty hard. Panting, almost. Just his luck that his father would notice this.

He held to breathe when he saw Maddie look back at him.

She frowned. "What are you talking about, Jack? He's a ghost. He can't breathe." The ghost halfa bit back an angry retort.

"I swear I saw him panting!" Jack said loudly. "I never make mistakes!"

"No one can say _that_," the ghost said quietly, mostly to himself.

Jack heard him though. He pointed proudly to his chest. "_I_ can!"

The ghost raised an eyebrow. "You never once said the wrong thing or forgotten something…or messed something up?"

"Nope!"

Maddie snorted. Valerie shook her head, smiling slightly. The ghost blinked at him, a dumfounded look on his face. "Oh. If you say so…"

"I do!"

He winced at the bellow. "You sure?"

"Yup."

"What about…" He looked around the lab. He pointed to a silver and green cylindrical canister. A thermos. "What about that?"

Jack's face fell a little before he smiled again. "The Fenton Thermos isn't completed yet! It doesn't count."

"Jack," Maddie said, a hand on her face. "It _is_ finished. It just doesn't work."

Jack's face did fall at that.

As much as the ghost was "enjoying" being cornered and held at gunpoint, he'd much rather get away from them before they remembered what they wanted to do to him. Or that he had been breathing.

He quickly turned invisible and flew through the floor. He came back up next to the portal and quickly flew in, ignoring the protests behind him.

_Home sweet--_

He flew right into another ghost's chest as soon as he got through.

_Out of the frying pan, into the fire, and then back into the chief's hand,_ he thought in exasperation. He backed up a bit so he could see the ghost. _Why _him_?_

Walker, the Ghost Zone's warden, glared down at the boy. "That was a rather interesting display you did, Punk," he said, referring to being sucked through the portal. "How is it that you made it back whole?"

He frowned. The very white ghost sheriff had his goons circled around them, staying well away from the portal. There were some ghosts who had been there when he'd been pulled through being questioned by Walker's second, Bullet. Of course, all talking had stopped when he'd shot back through the portal.

"What do you mean, Walker?"

"If the portal didn't tear you apart, then the hunters should have," Walker replied, sounding a bit slighted.

The ghost halfa huffed. "You sound like you _wanted_ me to have my second death."

The sheriff leaned down so they were eye to eye. "Now whatever gave you that idea, Punk?"

The halfa crossed his arms and glared at him. "Well, I'm fine. I reformed easily and the hunters weren't able to detain me. You can go mourn to your rule book now. I'm sure it's feeling lonely. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to report to Clockwork."

Walker put a hand to his chest to keep him from moving. Lucky for him, it was his right side. "Oh, no you don't. We can't have unauthorized contraband in the Zone now can we?"

The halfa's eyes narrowed. "I don't have any human world items with me, Walker."

"That's what they all say, Punk. We can't be sure now can we?" The halfa's eyes widened as he realized what Walker had planned.(3) "Search him," he ordered his goons.

"Crap," the halfa muttered, once again seeing that the best option was to dodge and run. Again. He flew down before any of them could move. As soon as he was skimming the Ghost Zone's "ground," he pulled in some ecto-energies and created an ecto-shield. The retaining goop the goons had shot at him bounced off the shield.

"You can't run from me, Punk!" he heard Walker yell as his goons gave chase.

"Well then it's a good thing I don't plan on running forever," the halfa muttered, smiling at the familiar area the fight was in.

* * *

"Where did he go?"

"I don't know. Walker's not going to be happy about this…"

"That's why you're going to tell him."

"What?! Why should…"

The ghosts left the halfa's hearing range and he slumped in relief. He was hiding inside a small cave close to the humans' portal. From above, you wouldn't even know it was there. The halfa had just stumbled upon it by accident when he was heading to a different cave. It was better hidden than that one would have been, though, so he had stayed. It was a tight fit, barely allowing him to sit up straight. The opening was small and blocked from view by some dead underbrush.

He closed his eyes as he let himself breathe in the Zone's stale air. He was lucky it _did_ have air. He wasn't sure what he would do if it didn't. He planned to stay in his cave for a long time. Too many things had happened and he needed to take a break to sort it all out.

_Let's see. There's Danny, Clockwork, my parents, Skulker, my powers, my…body functions, and what I'll do…Alright. Start from the beginning…no…urgh. My head hurts. _To say he was going to sort through those things was one thing. Doing it completely different.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The action wasn't familiar, but strangely, it calmed him down. At least a little. He put a hand to his forehead and rubbed it, trying to get rid of his (first) headache. _I wonder if it's a result of the accident…well, it wasn't really an accident, was it? Clockwork knew it'd happen. He'd planned it._

That was obvious. His mentor had sent him to the portal site to clean up the mess he'd made. He'd known the portal would open up without warning. With the ghosts standing around it like they were, they would have all been sucked through. That couldn't be allowed to happen. Ghost's have a natural reforming instinct to…cling to the ecto-energy around them. Soul-energy. If they'd been sent through, they would have…merged with each other and created a super ghost like Pariah. That was the theory, anyway. They'd have to survive being torn apart first.

Clockwork had sent the halfa there to either get them to leave the area or to be the only one sucked through the portal. Without any ghosts around him, he would have just reformed harmlessly. His pain and discomfort was a small price to pay in order to keep from creating another Pariah.

His mentor had had him sacrifice himself without knowing he was doing so. That was a bit cold. After all, he could have been destroyed…No. He was the Master of Time. He knew he'd reform without much harm.

_Well, as much sense as that makes, I didn't come through unharmed, did I? I'm still around, but so many things have happened I'd probably better off if I hadn't survived. _He ran a nervous hand through his hair, absently wondering if it was still black and white. His heart beat weirdly in his chest as he started to breathe faster. _I mean, I'm practically human, my human half wants to know about halfas, and my parents want to rip me apart…Oh, and Skulker wants me in a cage. More than before…Walker wants to chuck me into his jail or expose me…Clockwork has pushed me away…I—_

_Panicking isn't going to solve your problems, _he told himself, forcing calm when his breath had hitched. _Take it slowly. What's the thing bothering you the most?_

Well, that'd have to be his body change.

_There's a heartbeat, I have to breathe, I can't just pretend there's no gravity in the human world, I had white hair, my clothes were inverted, I got a power boost, and…no, that seems to be it. So why? Why did all that happen?_

He was sure it had to do with how he had reformed. He just wasn't sure how that had anything to do with it. Going out on a stretch, he could have gotten his power boost from the ecto-energy's being pulled with him through the portal. The problem with that was that it shouldn't have given him enough power to do what he had been able to. Besides, all those energies must have gone straight to causing his appearance to go whack.

_And Danny's…_

Danny had changed too. The ghost wasn't too sure, but he believed Danny had been in the portal's direct line if not standing right where it opened. In theory, the energies could have gotten into his system, mixing with his DNA to make him look—and have powers?—like a ghost. Like with the super ghost. Probable, but unlikely.

The ghost doubted that, though. Maybe if they had been one whole human, but as a separated soul and as a human, Danny wouldn't be able to continue to live with that much power inside him. He was very much alive. In order to control ecto-energy, you have to have a strong soul. The stronger the soul, the stronger the ghosts. Halfa human souls were only strong enough to keep them living and functioning like a normal person. So…how was it that Danny's eyes had inner light?

_I'm missing too many things,_ he thought resignedly. _I need more info. And a smarter brain. Clockwork most likely knows or has a theory, but…that would mean going back._

Despite what he'd told Walker, he wasn't too sure about returning to Clockwork. He had sent him off to his almost-death with no emotion at all. It was like he didn't even care that he was endangering him. Sure it was for a good cause, but…couldn't he have at least shown how he was feeling? Was that too much to ask?

_At any rate, I can't just act like nothing has happened between us. _

_But the only other people who might understand is our parents and I doubt we're going to be asking them any time soon…well, at least I hope Danny's smart enough not to. Who knows how they'll react to_ that_. They didn't take a nonthreatening ghost very well after all._

Oh sure, it looked as if he had attacked the lab and their son, and they had trust issues with ghosts, but shouldn't they have at least heard him out? He hadn't actually done anything and yet he still got fired at. _By my own parents, too,_ he thought, sighing sadly.

He didn't exactly see them like a mom and dad to him, but they were. Clockwork had raised him and so he thought of him as more of a father than Jack, but…they had both tried to get him killed. That's not such a fatherly action.

His mom wasn't much better, either. She'd called him an ectoplasmic scumbag…and a phantom. That just meant ghost, though. No big deal really, unlike calling him a scumbag…

He smiled. _I could try that name. It'd be kinda ironic that my mom _did_ give me my name. I can always toss it if I don't like it…Phantom…that sounds cool, actually. _The newly named Phantom's smile grew. _Now I can actually give Danny a name…_

His smile fell and he sighed. Danny expected an explanation from him. Aside from the painful fact that he would have to return to the human world to do so, he wasn't exactly _supposed_ to. It was a silent understanding between halfa ghosts that they wouldn't ever tell their human halves about their kind. It would spread through the human world and cause a lot of problems, not only for the ghosts, but also for the humans. It was unspeakable to let that information out.

Phantom glared at a rock. _He_ never agreed to that. He was a free ghost. If he wanted to tell his human, he would. If they had a problem with that then they could go and—

_"…You're what? Two ounces?" _That sounded like his voice…

_**Bam!**_

Phantom jumped. He peeked his head out of his underground cave to see the disturbance. His eyes got wide and he bit his lip. Skulker stood only five feet away from his cave, his wrist gun held aimed at a smoking and charred hole in the ground.

"Soon, Halfa," he heard Skulker say in an angry determined voice. "Soon your pelt shall rest at the foot of my bed."

Phantom gagged and slowly lowered himself back into his cave.

_Alright. Then it's decided. I'm no longer welcome here…_

* * *

**(1) Not a big one. More like those little rays that Vlad and Danny can shoot out when they're humans. He's not as strong in his halfa form.  
(2) I wanted to use the "post human conciousness" thing she yelled all the time, but I couldn't remember more than that :( Can someone tell me what it is? It'd really suck not being able to use it and I don't think I'll be seeing it in the show too soon.  
(3) In case you didn't guess, Walker was going to insist taking off his hood and cape in order to make sure he didn't have any contraband.**

**Right, so, what's happened to Danny and Phantom is...nah. You guys'll have to wait. You can probably piece things together. Now that I look back, you probably wouldn't have been able to fully understand without some of the information I just gave. It's probably still confusing. You'll have to let me know. I'm not very good at explaining/describing ;(**

**Sorry it's mostly just info at the bottom. Phantom had to think things through. I'm hoping I covered most everything. Sad ending too. Phantom's having a miserable day, huh? Don't worry. It'll pick up.**

**Next chapter, Danny and Valerie. See ya in three days...preferably.**

**Review please and thanks for reading!**


	7. Beliefs

**Hey! I'm not late!...Not that it's really that big a deal ^-^ It'd be just a day.**

**Hawky Phantom: **Thanks! Yeah. I couldn't resist with Ghost Gabber ;) It's one of my favorite Fenton inventions. And thanks for the post human conciousness thing. That's the one I wanted. lol. I love it. So funny XD Now I can use it! Thanks for reviewing again!  
**DPcrazy: **Thanks for your review! That's a lot of theories. You probably got the right one. Glad I can complicate it enough that there would be about that many theories ;) I'm glad I gave Phantom his name finally. I kept on getting confused with it. I was originally gonna have Danny give him that name, but then Maddie came up...and it just worked better. I like it :) Nice and ironic. Thank you for your review!

**Well, this chapter's pretty short. I kept on having trouble with it. I'm not so good with confrontations, but I had to have it for the story and for practice. I think it turned out alright. Not my best chapter, i think. Let me know.**

**I don't own the show. Just this plot.**

* * *

Chapter 5  
Beliefs

Valerie glared furiously at the working ghost portal. The green energies swirled "innocently" back at her, oblivious to the huntress's anger at losing her prey. It wasn't enough that he had humiliated her by disarming her so easily, but to get away seconds after by distracting them with nonsense? Oh, that ghost was a sly one. He'd made it appear that he was breathing just so Jack would engage him in conversation, distracting them all so he could make his escape. She ground he teeth together at the thought.

She wasn't sure how the other hunters were taking their defeat since no one had moved or made a sound yet. It was their first actual defeat since that white haired ghost had taken over for a whole week. The new ghost hadn't even really _tried_ to fight them back! It was like they weren't even _worth_ fighting. The jerk.

_Stupid, arrogant, self-centered, in-serious-need-of-anger-management jerk. That's what he is._

A piece of the ceiling fell to the floor with a loud bang. Valerie flinched a little but stayed focused on the portal. She didn't think the ghost would come back; she just wanted to glare. The whole lab was a mess. Half the inventions were on the floor and there was a whole bunch of scorch marks all over the walls, floor, and ceiling. The place was more a mess than it had ever been.

Almost certainly there'd been a battle there.

"Well," Maddie said slowly, breaking the long silence. "That was a…an interesting encounter."

Valerie snorted and crossed her arms, still glowering at the portal. _That_ was an understatement.

"Hey," Jack said suddenly. "Why's the portal working?"

Valerie sighed. _It was working throughout the whole—_ She gasped. W_ait a minute! He's right! How _is_ it working?! _She gaped at the portal in astonishment now. It'd been nothing more than a tunnel of nonworking metal and wires and possibilities when they left. Now it _was_ functioning…and letting ghosts in and out.

"How did—"

"Oww. My head."

All thoughts of the ghost and the portal quickly fled her mind as Valerie spun around to face the reason for the whole fight in the first place (besides them being natural ghost hunters anyway). Her angry expression softened to a relieved and happy one when she saw Danny sitting up and clutching his head with a pained look on his face. He looked a little worn, but it didn't look as if the ghost had managed to do any serious harm to him yet. His jumpsuit was a little tattered and his hair was messier than usual, but that was about it.

The three hunters raced over to him, eager to see that he was alright. Valerie got to him first and knelt down, putting a supporting arm that he probably didn't need around his shoulders. He shook his head a little to clear it. He looked blearily at her. He tensed suddenly. His eyes got wide and he looked down at his black glove. He frowned and looked around the lab widely like he was searching for something.

"It's alright, Sweetie," his mom said, crouching next to him too. "We chased that awful ghost away. He won't be hurting you anymore." Valerie smiled and nodded.

Danny frowned though. "What do you mean? What awful ghost? You mean Skulker? I thought he was already gone."

Valerie wrinkled her nose. She'd heard that name _somewhere_ before. "Skulker?" she asked, looking at Maddie with an arched eyebrow, silently asking if she knew the name.

Maddie frowned in thought, her head tilting to the side. "I believe I remember hearing a ghost mention it before. Something about being a great hunter."

Danny nodded. "Yeah. He's the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter." He made a face.

Maddie's frown increased. "The ghost didn't look like the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter."

"Big, bulky, wearing an out of date mechanical suit?" The three hunters shook their head, their eyes narrowing at the thought that a ghost like that had been around Danny. "Huh." He glanced down at his hand again. He straightened suddenly and looked at them with wide eyes. "Oh no. You mean to tell me you got a ghost wearing a cape?!"

Jack nodded eagerly, grinning widely. "Yup. It was really fast but we got a few shots at it!"

Danny gaped at them. "You _shot_ at him?!"

"Only a little," his mom said, looking at a loss for his change in behavior. "It flew back into the Ghost Zone before we could do anything with it."

"He's gone?" he asked, looking upset. "But he said he'd explain…"

"Explain what, dear?" Maddie asked, worried again.

"What a halfa is."

Valerie frowned. "Halfa? What a stupid name."

He smiled in agreement and nodded. "Yeah, but I want to know what it means. Skulker kept on calling us that."

"Wait. This Skulker called you _and_ the ghost a halfa?" she asked in disbelief. He nodded again. "Why would he do that?"

"That's what I wanted to know. The ghost with the cape was going to tell me why when Tucker got on the computer, so I had to talk to him. Then…um…" he hesitated, giving them an uneasy look, "…I fainted."

They blinked at him in surprise. Valerie leaned closer to him, ignoring how he backed away from her so she wasn't only an inch away. "You fainted."

"Yeah," he said, frowning in confusion.

"Why?"

"Uh…" Danny said evasively. "That's kinda hard to explain. I think it was so much stuff happening so quickly."

Valerie was about to ask another question when Jazz came suddenly down to the lab and wrapped her arms around her little brother's neck protectively. Valerie blinked and leaned back. _How'd she_ get _here so fast?_

"Enough of your interrogation!" she said protectively. "He's probably scared or—"

"Jazz…" Danny complained, trying to push her away.

"—hurt—"

"Jazz."

"—or tired—"

"Jazz!"

"—or starving—"

"JAZZ! I am FINE!" he shouted, finally succeeding in at least pushing her away a little. He took a deep breath. "I'm not scared, hurt, tired, or hungry." His stomach growled. He hugged it, blushing a little. "Much."

They smiled fondly at him. Maddie ruffled his hair affectionately. "It's no problem, Sweetie. We'll get you something to eat and you can tell us what all happened while we were gone."

"Yeah! And about how the Fenton Portal is now working!" Jack exclaimed happily, pointing proudly at the working portal.

Nobody noticed Danny's sudden paranoia as they headed up to the kitchen.

* * *

Danny finished his left over pizza supper as slowly as possible. His family and Val expected him to tell them all that happened. Simple, right? Not so difficult, right? Just tell them that he went into the portal, got zapped, came out with his ghost twin right next to him, and then got chased by a big ghost that wanted to capture them. Oh and let's not forget how it was he passed out in the first place. They'd love to hear about how he'd looked like a ghost.

Oh yeah. They'd just _love_ to hear _that_.

Only Valerie was focusing on him right now, and that was unnerving enough. He thought for sure she was drilling a hole right through his skull with the way she was staring him down like that. His mom was busy fixing an invention while his dad was wolfing down cookies behind her back. Jazz was reading a psychology book as she used it as a shield against stray sparks. Every now and then, she'd glare at her mother before hiding behind her book again.

Despite the wackiness of all that had happened, this was all pretty normal stuff…minus Val's intense gaze. Danny could even remember this exact moment happening this morning. It was almost like a practiced routine. It was almost enough to put him at ease.

If Val wasn't looking at him like that…or if he could push the image of himself with glowing blue eyes out of his head.

_Maybe I just imagined it, _he thought, taking another bite of his pizza. _I don't look like that anymore, after all. I'm back to normal, for the most part, so maybe it didn't even happen…Still, better to be safe than sorry, I guess._

"Are you done yet, Danny?" Valerie asked in irritation.

"Ina second," he replied with his mouth full. She giggled a little. He swallowed the last of the pizza and dusted off his hands…not that did any good. "Alright. Now I'm done."

Maddie took off her hood and set her invention and tools away. Jazz closed her book and set it down gently, crossing her arms over it and giving Danny her full attention—probably taking her psychology books' advice on how to make him open up. Jack took one last cookie and stood behind Maddie. Valerie just leaned in closer.

Danny shifted a little uncomfortably. He was never one for the spotlight. "Um…I guess I should start off where you guys left, right?" They nodded. "Well, uh, after you guys left, I talked with Tucker for a little bit longer and he convinced me to go and see if I could fix the portal…uh…" _Best to leave out how I went _into_ the portal. They may be able to peace things together if they knew that part_. "…I found an unplugged wire outside the portal and plugged it in. There was this whining noise and some green light inside it. Then it just…uh…started working." He glanced up from his hands at them. His mom and dad were nodding thoughtfully and Jazz and Valerie just kept looking at him. "…Soon after it came on, this ghost wearing a cape and hood—" _Should I tell them what color? Nah. If I went back to normal soon afterwards, he probably did too—"_fell out. He yelled at me for—"

"Oh my gosh!" Jazz exclaimed, rushing over to him to make sure he hadn't any visible wounds. "Are you alright? Did the ghost hurt you?"

"Jazz," Danny said exasperatedly, pushing her away. "I told you. I'm fine. The ghost didn't hurt me at all. He just gave me some advice about dealing with ghosts." He looked pointedly at the three hunters. "He _saved_ me when Skulker came through the portal and said he was going to add me to his collection." They blinked at him, their eyes wide, having trouble digesting either that a ghost had save him…or what Skulker had intended. He didn't really think it mattered which.

"How'd he save you?" Jazz asked, sitting back down in her chair and actually looking interested now.

Danny smiled a little in relief. The three hunters would need more convincing, but Jazz was more open to ghosts being good. Something about them still having an emotional field or something. "He flew me away from the rockets Skulker had shot at me and then he helped me send him back to the Ghost Zone by distracting him."

"You sent him back to the Ghost Zone?" Jazz asked, smiling. "How?'

"I used the prototype for the portable ghost portal gun thingy. The ghost found it really funny when he found out about it being a prototype."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He said he couldn't wait to spread that rumor around the Ghost Zone; how Skulker got beat by a fourteen year old human and a nonworking gun." Danny chuckled. "He was going to tell me what a halfa is after that, but like I said, I had to talk to Tucker first. He said that he'd explain to me soon though. I hope he comes back..."

"This is nonsense," his mom stated suddenly, a decisive look in her eyes.

"What?" Danny asked in surprise, whipping his head in her direction.

"You're falling for the ghost's tricks, Son," Jack said sternly. "It wants you to think it's trustworthy. It's not. It's a ghost. You can't trust a single one of them."

Danny gaped at him. "But, Dad, he—"

"He's right, Danny," Valerie said, shaking her head. "He's just using you to get at us. He'd probably kill you as soon as he got what he needed."

"But—"

"That's right," Jack declared. "Nothing's too filthy for those scums."

"But, Dad—"

"No, Danny," Maddie spoke up, shaking her head. "It's a good think we chased it away. It was most likely planning on taking you away and using you as bait to get us where he wanted us."

Danny shook his head vehemently. "No! You guys weren't _there_! He didn't—"

"I don't want to hear it, Danny," his mom interrupted, gazing at him sternly. "That ghost is long gone and good riddance. Now I want you to go clean up, get out of your hazmat suit, and go to bed." Danny glared rebelliously at her. "_Now_."

He bit his lip and reluctantly but angrily left the kitchen. He glared at the floor as he made his way through the Den room. When he got to the stairs, he stopped halfway up and yelled, "Some way to repay somebody for saving your boys _life_!" He ran the rest of the way up quickly before he could get scolded. As soon as he made it to his room, he slammed his door shut and threw himself on his bed. He hugged his pillow against him and sighed.

"They wouldn't even _listen_," he whispered sadly. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised. They were ghost _hunters_ after all. But he thought they'd at least maybe consider what he had to say.

He couldn't help feeling like he'd let the ghost down. Sure, he hadn't asked him to help or anything, but he still felt as if he should have. It felt like his obligation to. But his parents and Valerie had just clung to their old prejudices and refused to hear what he had to say, insisting that he was being gullible. He wasn't gullible. The ghost _had_ saved him. He'd risked his life for him. And his parents had just chased him away for it.

He sighed again. He wasn't sure if he was more upset about what his parents and Val had done, or that he now wouldn't be told what a halfa was. He had a great deal of curiosity and he knew it would start to eat at him. The ghost was unlikely to come back after what had happened to him. Now he'd never know why he looked ghostly.

He raised a hand in front of his face. The black glove he had originally had on was back and no longer white. He was positive that he looked like he had before going into the portal, too, judging by how the hunters and Jazz hadn't reacted.

_Is that what a halfa is?_ he thought, turning his hand around so the back faced him. _Someone who can change their appearance into a ghost or human?..._ He dropped his hand back onto the pillow. _No. Skulker said that we were unique for halfas. If this were normal, then he wouldn't have said that. _He ran a hand through his hair. _Of course, I suppose I shouldn't really believe what a ghost says. My parents certainly say I shouldn't._

He frowned down at the floor. _They say that a ghost always lies, but that can't be right. There can't _always_ be a reason for them to. It's not like they have a compulsion to lie…Gosh. That sounded a little like what Jazz would say. _He chuckled a little, even if it was a pained one.

He shook his head. _No. Skulker had seemed completely natural, and the ghost with the cape didn't seem to be lying either. I don't care what my parents said. There was no reason for him to lie to me…not that he really told me about anything…His actions should speak louder than words, anyway. And since my parents and Val weren't there, they can't possibly know whether he was tricking me or not._

He yawned. _I'll think about this tomorrow, _he thought, his eyes drooping. _I'm too tired right now…_

_

* * *

_

**Well, that's it. Told ya it's short ;) I could have gone on longer, but then I got an idea for how I could open with the next chapter. Hope you liked it. Sorry it was short and that the characters may have seemed a bit ooc or too extreme.**

**Next chap is when Danny (finally! Even i'm getting impatient) learns about halfas and has some chat time with Phantom.**

**Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D**


	8. Changed

**I'm technically late, but I had a lota trouble with this chapter. I blame it on being so important. Frankly, I can't wait for the next one, even though it's just as important. At least it'll be more relaxed.**

**Kiomori:** Yeah, they're having a tough time, but it will get easier for 'em...after this chapter, anyway. Thanks for reviewing again! I haven't seen ya in a while.  
**Anonymous:** Thanks. I meant to have Jack come off as being protective of his family. He was like that in the show, and I didn't want him to be some "idiot." He's one of my favorite characters, afterall :) I'll see if I can fix it to make the transistion seem more natural, though. Thanks for pointing it out. As suggested, I focused more on Phantom, but I had to get Danny's point of view in the middle, after Phantom explains things to him.  
**Hawky Phantom:** Thanks! I hope it turns out the way you want it to.  
**Shadow1248: **Thanks! Valerie was a bit difficult to pull off. Glad I got her. Jazz won't be meeting Phantom until later, but yeah, I'm gonna have a lot of fun with her ;)  
**Shadow Moss: **I hope it lives up to your expectations! Thanks for letting me know.  
**DPcrazy: **Phew. They seemed a bit out of it to me. I don't like drama, but I _do_ like writing it. It's weird, huh? Danny doesn't hear everything here, but he gets the basics...and has trouble with those. He'll get the _whole_ thing when he's more awake...you'll see what I mean.  
**_Thank you all for reviewing!_**

**I'm not sure how well I did the chapter, but then I'm kinda in a depressed funk right now. It's raining outside and I'm being rushed off the computer by my _little_ brother -_- That's sad. I liked it yesterday, so I'm keeping my worries shut tight. See you at the bottom!**

**I don't own Danny Phantom. I didn't even know about until last summer ;)**

* * *

Chapter 6  
Changed

Phantom stuck his head very cautiously out of his family's portal. He'd been waiting for Walker and his goons—along with every other ghost that had been wandering around it—to finally leave. By the time they finally _did_ leave the portal alone, he'd caught a break. It was midnight. From what he knew about humans, they were usually asleep by this time. It was the perfect time for him to cross still didn't want to take the chance that his parents or Valerie were still in the lab, though.

The lights were off and the lab was empty. No hunters.

"Coast clear," he muttered to himself, stepping all the way out of the Ghost Zone and into the humans' world. He growled when gravity struck him again, almost making him trip over his feet. He floated off the floor before closing his eyes and concentrating.

After debating with himself and some soul searching, he'd decided to return to Danny for his next course of action. He had promised he was going to tell him what a halfa was, after all, and he was going to do it, hunters be darned.

He sensed Danny wasn't sleeping and it wasn't hard for him to locate him. Halfas had an inner sense about such things when they tried. If he were to concentrate hard enough, he'd be able to locate Danny from about two miles away. That's saying very little, especially since they were supposed to be the same soul. But the range was only that small because Phantom had never really been in close proximity with Danny before now so the link was pretty weak.

Knowing he was just two floors above him was simplicity itself, though.

_Hmm. Sleeping right above the enemies' entrance, _Phantom thought warily, raising an eyebrow as he looked up. _There's gotta be a saying for that somewhere, but I don't really feel like it. Let's just get this over with._

He turned invisible and intangible before flying up to Danny's supposed room. When he reached it, he found Danny sitting on his knees on top his bed and glaring angrily at his alarm clock that read 12:10 in bright green neon. The look he was giving it suggested that he was not thrilled with it at all. Phantom found the look pretty funny, and had a hard time keeping from snickering. He wanted more time to compose himself after all.

Danny's room wasn't very large, but it was slightly bigger than Phantom's room at the tower…The walls were a light blue, freshly painted and smelling that way. On them were various posters of rockets, space, and other NASA stuff. A shuttle rocket model about two feet long lay on the ground next to the dresser which was next to the door. His bed was in the middle of the room, its headboard pushed up against the opposite wall of the door. The night stand that the alarm clock was on had various pictures of Danny's family and friends. A desk sat next to the window on the right side of Danny's bed.

Danny swung his legs off the bed and stood up, snapping Phantom's attention back to him. The human gave his white and black jumpsuit a disgusted look. He pinched some of it and pulled it away from his body. His disgusted face took on a more grotesque look. Phantom clamped his hands over his mouth to keep his laughter smothered. Didn't work too well, though.

"Wha? Who's there?!" Danny demanded, turning his head in every which direction as if he would be able to see the stranger if he tried hard enough. Phantom knew he couldn't. Humans couldn't see in the dark, unlike ghosts. Not that it would have mattered any to Danny. He was invisible, after all.

Or at least, he thought he was.

Danny was now looking straight at him, a perplexed look on his face. Phantom raised an eyebrow. He floated over to the computer. After a moment, Danny faced that way too. _Well that's odd, _Phantom thought. _…Unless human halfas can sense their ghosts too and just don't know they can. Huh. Must be scary for them when their ghosts haunt them…_

"Um…Hello?" Danny called hesitantly. Phantom cocked his head to the side. "A-are you the ghost from this afternoon? The…uh, halfa?" Silence. "Great," Danny muttered, irritated. "Now I'm imagining things, too."

Phantom blinked. He smiled, a suddenly mischievous one. _He may know I'm here subconciously, but that doesn't mean I can't scare him a little. I_ am _a_ _ghost_ _after all._

Danny continued to mutter to himself as he made his way clumsily to the desk at the window, tripping over his feet. When he reached it, he leaned his hand on it and searched blindly for the lamp's light switch with the other. Seeing his opportunity, Phantom whooshed over to him, becoming visible at the same time, and shouted, "DANNY!"

The desired effect was for Danny to scream, jump, whirl around, and gawk at him with wide eyes…or faint. What happened was Danny did yelp. And he _started_ to whirl around. But he mixed it up and face-planted his desk's near-metal surface. Phantom winced slightly, getting a small echo of what that had felt like.

Danny groaned and put a hand to his forehead as he let himself fall to the floor. Phantom allowed himself to float closer to the ground. He touched Danny's shoulder hesitantly and frowned in concern when he felt him shaking.

"You alright, man?" Phantom asked him, shaking his shoulder a little.

"M-m-my a-arm. It j-just…" Danny trailed off, looking down in horrified fascination.

Phantom followed the human's gaze to his right arm. "Just what? It looks just fine to me," Phantom said. He poked it. "See?"

Danny shook his head but got up to his feet. Phantom took that as a sign that he was alright and floated farther up and away from him. Danny gave his arm one last curious look before facing the ghost. He crossed his arms and glared at him, able to see him since his glow lit his form up. "Don't you know how to knock?" he asked crossly.

Phantom smiled smugly and shook his head. "Nope. It's not something we practice in the Zone. If you were invited, you just float right in. If you weren't…well, you learn your lesson."

Danny snorted. "Yeah, well, things are different in the human world."

"Yeah?" Phantom asked, amused, reclining a little in midair as if he were on a lawn chair. "You're not going to bite my head off?"

"I might." Phantom laughed. Danny gave him a wary look before turning on the light. He walked back over to his bed and sat down. Phantom crisscrossed his legs in midair and floated at eye level with Danny.

"Um," Danny started, looking a little uneasy, "you can sit down if you want."

Phantom shook his head. "No thanks. I'm having enough trouble with gravity as it is."

"Uh, right."

Silence.

"Hmm. Awkward," Phantom muttered. "Well, I guess we should start off small." He pulled his hood off and held out his hand. "You can call me Phantom."

"Danny," Danny said, shaking his hand with a slightly surprised expression.

"What?" Phantom asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I just…"

Phantom laughed again. "You didn't think ghosts could be civil?" Danny blushed. "In most cases, you'd be right. But I got manners drilled into my skull, and believe me, not an experience to relive." He grimaced.

"Why'd you have to learn manners?" Danny asked, his nose wrinkling. "Shouldn't dying kinda free you of that? Why'd you come back? And what's with your hair? Did the portal do that to you? Do you know why it messed with us? What's a halfa? Why do you look—" Phantom clamped his hands over his mouth.

"OK! Enough! One question at a time, _please_," he pleaded. Danny's eyes sparkled a little in mischief but Phantom ignored it. He cautiously pulled his hands away, ready to place them back on his human's mouth should he start blabbering again. When he didn't, Phantom exhaled nosily. "Alright, in order: my guardian wanted me to, my death was rather special, I promised an explanation, it's always been like that, no, I have a theory, and I'll tell ya in a minute so be patient!" Danny blinked and smiled slightly. He nodded, looking eager to hear the explanation.

Phantom ran a hand through his hair and bit his lip. _This is what you came here to do,_ he told himself. _To tell him what a halfa is…should have thought of _how_ I was going to break it to him while I was waiting oh so patiently for Walker and his goons to clear out…He might not even believe me…I'm sure Mom and Dad have told him not to believe what ghosts say._ He shook his head._ I didn't come all this way to just chicken out at the last second. C'mon, Phantom. Get a grip._ He glanced up at Danny, who was starting to look impatient. _I'll just…give it to him slowly._

Phantom straightened his shoulders. "Right, so I'll start with me. You know I'm a halfa right?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah. I think I got the message when Skulker repeatedly called you halfa."

"Actually, that was you. He called _me_ whelp mostly." Danny shrugged, his mouth twitching. "Anyway. Back to me. You see I didn't die normally. I did…but I didn't. That's what makes me a halfa. Evidence, I died due to rotten luck—or good luck, depending how you look at it—a few minutes after being born. Obviously I'm no longer a baby."

Danny looked shocked. "But… I thought ghosts looked the same as when they died."

Phantom nodded. "Yeah, that's usually how it works. But there are two exceptions to that. One is where the ghost is born as a ghost." Danny raised an eyebrow. "Don't' ask. The other is—"

"Let me guess," Danny interrupted, "the other is halfas."

Phantom nodded, starting to feel a little uneasy again. "Yup. Halfas continue growing as if they never really died."

"Is that it? That's all there is to being a halfa?"

"No."

"…Well? Are you going to continue?"

Phantom almost laughed. He didn't, though. "Yes. Before I do, though, I need you to promise you won't tell _anybody_ about us."

Danny frowned. "Why?"

Phantom felt like hitting his head. "_Because_. You don't think we're like other ghosts, do you?"

"No. You just said—"

"Right. And no one has heard of us before, correct?"

"…Right."

"And what do scientists do when there's something new that's unlike what they've ever come across?"

"Well, most investigate, experiment, dissect, and…Oh." Danny looked a little sheepish.

Phantom nodded. "Exactly. That, along with a few other reasons, is why halfas are kept a secret from the mortal world."

"Is that why you're so uncomfortable?" Danny asked, starting to look guilty. "Because you're breaking a law by telling me?"

Phantom shrugged. "I told you I would tell you and I keep my word. And no. It's not a law. Just a silent agreement of sorts. Besides, I'm having you promise not to tell a soul."

"People _can_ break promises, Phantom," Danny warned.

"Yeah, but I don't think you're that kind person. You keep promises," Phantom replied confidently, smiling at his human half.

Danny frowned, a little uneasy now himself, but nodded. "Alright. I promise not to tell anyone."

"About halfas," Phantom added for good measure.

"About halfas," Danny repeated.

Phantom took a deep, deep breath. "Well, like I said, it's really all about how the person dies. That's how it all starts. When they become ghosts."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah. I kinda figured that. You're a ghost after all."

Phantom smirked. "Uh, no, Danny. There are human halfas too. Remember Skulker calling you one, or did you forget?" Danny's eyes widened. His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. Phantom winked at him. "That's right. Now hush up so I can finish explaining. It'll make sense then." Danny nodded, frowning in confusion, though.

"When I died, I started to become a ghost. It's a delicate forming process since the soul is disconnecting from the body and yet retaining its body's DNA structure. As such, things can go wrong. There's this one ghost who—"

Danny coughed pointedly.

Phantom stuck his tongue out at him. "Anyway, I was dying and becoming a normal ghost when the doctors started to revive my body." Danny nodded, leaning forward, eagerly. _I'm talking about his body as my body and he's just accepting it. _Phantom chuckled inwardly. _That is so wrong. _"Because my body started to live again, my soul no longer needed to detach itself from it. My soul, however, was already half ghost. A "dead" soul can't reconnect with its living body. So instead of returning to normal, my soul had to split in two. The body that used to be mine lived again as a normal human would but with enhanced emotional output," _I still think PMSing still fits better, Clockwork, _"to make up for the missing other half—which would be me. I "lived" as a not-so-normal ghost. Halfa ghosts aren't as strong as regular ghosts because we can't produce as much ecto-energy as them with half our soul missing. That's why I was surprised about being able to shoot strong ecto-blasts and why my hair looks like it does—the forming process wasn't completed."

Danny sat there absorbing it all for a moment before saying, "Geez. It sounds like the ghost half lucks out. You must hate your human self."

Phantom smiled warily. _He's either really dense or he's in denial._ Danny shifted uncomfortably. _Denial it is._ "Nah. He's not so bad," he said to him. "A bit on the dense side, maybe, but not a total loss."

Danny frowned a little at Phantom as he started to look at the room more closely. "And human halfas? That would be the half of the soul that's still alive?"

"Uh-huh," Phantom answered, still not looking at him. He figured Danny would want to handle it on his own.

"And I…" Danny shook his head and got up. He grabbed some pink clothes from inside his dresser. He looked over his shoulder at the ghost. "I'm going to take a shower, alright, Phantom?" he asked. "I need some time to think."

Phantom shrugged. "Go ahead...Do you want me to stay put and wait or…"

"Um…can you stay here?" Danny asked hesitantly. "I might have more questions later."

He nodded. "Sure. I don't have anything better to do right now...and I promise not to booby trap your room."

Danny smiled a little and shut the door softly behind him.

* * *

Danny leaned his forehead against the wall as he let the shower water run over him, washing away all the sweat and grime the jumpsuit had gotten out of him. He wasn't sure what to think about what he'd just been told. On the one hand, Phantom could be lying to him like his parents had insisted ghosts would do almost compulsively. Or, on the other, he could be telling him the truth and if that was the case then Danny…then he…

He bit his lip and shook his head. _Enough of that,_ he told himself. _It's impossible. I never died._

But that wasn't saying much. If he was…Phantom's human half then he would have died as a baby. He didn't start remembering things until he was…four? He _could_ have died for all he knew.

_No. Mom would have told me._

Would she? She was overprotective of him sometimes. If he'd almost died when he was a baby, she'd likely just want to forget about it happening at all. She'd subconsciously want to protect him too, wouldn't she? Doesn't she?

_Urgh. That sounded like something Jazz would say. I need to stop listening to her._

He straightened with a sigh and grabbed his shampoo. He began washing his hair absently as he let the conversation play out in his mind again.

_We are _not_ the same person, _he denied, shaking his head, little droplets of water spraying everywhere. _We can't be…_

They had different memories, so of course they were different people. That didn't mean they didn't have the same soul though…

_How can I be so sure of that? I mean sure, he looks just like me and I get this funny feeling around him, but that could mean anything, right? And he could be lying about halfas. He could've just said all that stuff to make me confused. _His forehead rejoined the wall forcefully. _Mom and Dad say that ghosts lie all the time. It's likely he_ is _lying. Halfas sound too bizarre. He must be making it up. Yeah. He's making this up. _

_...Why is it so hard to convince myself of that, though?_

He wasn't one for long showers and was out as soon as he was reasonably clean. He toweled dry a little before slipping on his pajama pants. He took his towel again and scrubbed it viciously in his hair to dry it. He hated going to bed with wet hair, especially when he was already having sleeping problems.

He glanced up at the mirror for a moment and frowned at his reflection. He set his towel down on the sink's counter and leaned forward, a hand resting on the counter for support. His hair was still a bit wet and his bangs hung over his forehead and into his sky blue eyes. He brushed them away impatiently.

He bit his lip. Given enough imagination and some color changes, he would look just like Phantom. Could he really say that it was just a coincidence that they looked so similar? He did feel that funny, almost completing feeling around him. If what Phantom said was true, then he felt that way because they'd once been the same person.

So, was he lying and Danny hallucinating, or was he telling the truth and Danny was his human half?

He looked over at the door and sighed. It was so confusing. He could be lying or he could be telling the truth. Which one was right? He couldn't ask Phantom because of course he would say he wasn't lying and he couldn't ask his parents because they would stand by their "logic." He had to rely on himself in order to figure out who was right, but he had no idea. His mind was denying it, but he felt himself believing it.

He started to turn back to the mirror but froze when his eyes glanced to his neck's reflection. He leaned forward and turned his head as much as he could to the right so he could see his scar. The scar he'd gotten from an electrical wire started near his ear and went diagonally towards his left shoulder for about two inches. If it had been a few more centimeters to the left, then the cord would have cut his jugular and he'd have bled to death.

It had been nearly a year ago and his scar hadn't faded.

...And Phantom had the exact same scar on _his_ neck…

Danny straightened and shook his head violently. _No. No way,_ he denied._ He's just lying. I'm a normal human. A normal living creature. Half of my soul is_ not _missing. I don't care if I am an emotional wreck or that there's a ghost who looks just like me or that there are at least two ghosts who insist on calling me a halfa or—_

_Am I sinking?!_

He watched the mirror with wide, frightened eyes as his reflection started going lower, lower, and lower…

He looked down at his legs. Like his hand had been when Phantom first appeared, his legs were now transparent and going through the solid floor. Already, he could no longer see his knees.

_"PHANTOM!" _he screamed.

* * *

Phantom poked the little TV on Danny's floor curiously. He'd missed it at first when he'd first skimmed the room, but that was mostly because he'd been looking for big and interesting things, not little square boxes. Except that this box had flashed when he pressed a button and the screen was now filled with white and black spots. An annoying hissing noise was coming from it as the spots moved about. When he poked it, it'd shocked his finger a little.

He pulled the finger back and cocked his head to the side at the thing. It was the first time he'd seen one of the human's "entertainment devices." The observants hadn't really talked about them except for how they'd come to be and who invented them. Only Clockwork had really told him what the humans actually did with it.

What he said was _supposed_ to happen wasn't happening, though. Phantom was pretty sure that there wasn't a "camera" somewhere filming little black and white spots chasing each other. He was just barely entertained by it. He doubted humans would be more.

He spotted something shiny under Danny's bed and curiously floated over to it. He got down on his stomach and began crawling under the bed. What he found was a circular disk with a hole in the middle. Probably a CD. One of those things humans listened to. He held it against his ear but didn't hear any noise coming from it. He frowned and shook it a little. Nothing. He tossed it aside…a little too hard. It shattered against the opposite wall. He winced.

_"PHANTOM!" _Danny screamed.

Phantom gasped and jolted upright, still under the bed. He cried out when his head hit the metal bars. He grasped his head that was throbbing on the outside and on the inside.

"It was an accident," he growled, thinking Danny was referring to the destroyed disk…Except that he didn't sense Danny in the room. He frowned. He turned intangible and flew out from under the bed. No Danny. So…that meant he needed his help.

Phantom quickly flew off in the direction he felt his human. He phazed through the bathroom's door and frantically looked around. "Danny?" he called.

"Phantom!"

Phantom looked down at the floor and saw his human waist deep in wooden flooring. His head started to tilt to the side. "Uh, Danny? Is that…normal for humans?"

Danny scowled up at him. "Does it _look_ normal?!"

Phantom nodded. "For a ghost yeah. I never saw a human do it before, though. I always thought you couldn't pass through solid things in the human world."

Danny stared at him, a little flustered. "We _can't_."

"But you are."

Danny, placed his hands on the floor and tried to lift himself. It didn't do any good. He was stuck. "That's the _problem_."

Phantom frowned. He knelt down on the floor next to Danny and inspected him. "Does that tickle?" he asked absently. He floated up and circled around him to get a complete picture of what had happened.

"Yeah," Danny replied, trying to get out from being split by the floor again. "It does."

Phantom knelt down in front of him again and held up his arm. "Did this happen?" he asked, making his arm intangible. Danny looked at the arm with a raised eyebrow and nodded. Phantom groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "We're a couple of freaks, Danny, you know that?"

"How's that?"

Phantom grabbed his human's wrist and pulled his hand over to his chest, resting it over his heart that shouldn't be beating. Danny's eyes widened and his mouth gaped open. Phantom chuckled without humor. "Yup. That pretty much sums it up. There're other changes, too. And now I see I wasn't the only one affected. The portal did it, I'm sure of that, but I don't know how...or what its done…" He looked down at the floor, a troubled frowned on his face. He looked back at Danny suddenly and smiled impishly. He turned him intangible so he could pull him out of the floor. Danny gave him a wary look and raised an eyebrow. "Wanna find out what else is wrong with us, Danny?"

Danny stared at him as if he were crazy. Then, slowly, he smiled the same smile. "Why not?"

* * *

  
**Hee. I did it. Danny now knows. Not that it's doing him any good. I want to keep him in a state of denial for a while because, well, he has been raised to be distrustful of ghosts. I hesitated in making him trust Phantom so easily, too, but then I thought that his subconcious would trust him...subconciously. That make sense?**

**There are some weird spots in my opinion that I'll have to go back and fix, but with my mood like this, it's safer to leave it for now...No worries. I'll be back to normal tomorrow. I'll fix it up more then. (When my annoying brother isn't being so annoying ;(**

**If there are logic holes, please tell me. I feel as if there is something I'm missing, but I can't think of it. Maybe if I had a betta...I don't know how that works though...**

**The next chapter I'm more happy to write. It's like a relaxing chapter. Where they...you know, relax and just have fun. It's called experimentations. What? They're fourteen-year old boys. They're _supposed_ to endanger each other :D Thinking about it is even making me giggle a little. If you got any suggestions on what they can try on each other, I'm all ears. Example: thermometer for checking temps (remember, Phantom doesn't know much about human instruments) and checking blood (Phantom's idea; Danny no likie). They'll sound better once there's a story behind 'em. I'm excited :)**

**Hope you liked this chapter. I'll get them back on the halfa track, but you gotta admit, falling through the floor will knock something like that out of your head, at least for a little while.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	9. Experimentations

**Allo all! I'm back with the next chapter of Halfa Life (stating the obvious ;)) and feeling a lot better :D Point of fact, I'm hyper :D I found out why I felt so depressed too. It involves an aunt and me being a girl and that's all you need to know. Seriously. Feelin' better now. My aunt can't keep me down for long, that's for sure. I'm too cheerful ;) ... Ignore my little brother.**

**On to reviews!  
Thunderstorm101: **Yes! That's exactly it...Of course, you put it in better words than I could ;) I just had a basic idea of it. It all just clicked more when you said it. Thanks!  
**Woken Laughing: **Thank you! And yeah. He will eventually ask his mom. It's just that it was midnight, and he didn't want to wake her up. But this gives me an idea. I hadn't really thought too much about how I was going to have Danny ask her. Now I've got a better idea. Thanks for reviewing!  
**Kiomori: **Eh. Danny just couldn't fall back to sleep. I could have had him asleep at the time, I guess, but it was hot over here and I was really uncomfortable. I rememberd that Danny went to sleep in his jumpsuit and figured he'd be even more so. :) I should stop talking about why I do things, huh ^-^ Yeah. I loved the room part too. It is like he's on another planet. Danny's won't stand out as much in this chapter, though. I just couldn't get them to fit in and still flow normally. They will next chapter, though ;)  
**DPcrazy: **lol. Thanks! I liked writing the explanation. I wasn't sure about how to go about it at first since I had already gone over what a halfa was, like, twice already and I didn't want to be repetive. I liked how I did it too, in the end. Hope you find this chapter just as funny.  
**Hawky Phantom: **Glad it did :D Their interactions are a little difficult because, technically, they are the same person so their personalities should be pretty similiar and the line blurs a little, so I'm glad they're coming out alright. Let me know if it is funny. I have a weird sense of humor. What i find funny and what actually is funny, sometimes don't co-exist ;)  
**Shadow Moss: ***bows* Thank you, Thank you. I try. And I would like to thank all you wonderful reviewers. And my cat. And my mom. And my brother. And--**(See what happens when I'm hyper? ^-^)  
Seriously, thank you all for reviewing. It really helps :)**

**This chapter didn't turn out the way I had origianally planned, but it's alright. It wasn't that far off target and it's probably better this way. It'll mostly take place from Danny's "POV" but you won't really notice all that much since you don't hear many thoughts. That may even be why it seems to be a little rushed to me. I usually like to get a character's thoughts on things down. Or maybe it was because I didn't describe things a whole lot. Ah well. That would have slowed it down.  
And, until the end, there's not a whole lot of thoughts on halfas. They're too "concerned" about what the portal did to them.**

**On to the chapter!**

**I own the plot, but I don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

Chapter 7  
Experimentations

Phantom pushed down on the couch curiously with his hand before letting gravity take him and flopped down onto it. He giggled a little when he sunk into the cushions. Danny shook his head, wondering if he should laugh or be embarrassed that the ghost might be half of himself.

The two had relocated down to the living room soon after Danny had finished getting dressed in his pajamas. Danny's bedroom was nice, but it didn't have…experimental equipment. Danny hadn't liked the glint in Phantom's eye at saying that, but he went along with it anyway. And it had been funny to see him investigate the whole living room. There wasn't much to see, but Phantom had been excited about the silliest things that Danny couldn't help being amused and forgetting all aobut it.

He grabbed a clipboard with paper on it off the coffee table and tossed it to Phantom. The ghost caught it easily. "You know what that is, right? And how to write?"

Phantom rolled his eyes. "Duh. Of course, it's a little difficult to do it without a _pencil_," he pointed out.

It was Danny's turn to roll his eyes. He tossed the coffee table pencil to him before going in search of their first tool; the thermometer.

"Alright," Phantom said, writing something on the paper. "So far, we know that my heart beats, I have to breathe, I feel temperature, and I'm being unwillingly pressed down by gravity."

Danny looked up, frowning, from having looked inside the lamp table's drawer. "Wait, don't all ghosts feel gravity in the human world?"

Phantom shook his head. "No. They _can_, but they naturally don't. I'm the opposite now. I have to consciously push gravity away from me or else I'll be flattened like a pancake."

"O…K…"

"As for you, we know that you're having some…trouble keeping solid."

Danny snorted. "That's a nice way to put it."

"Well, I don't like technical terms all the time. Alright, add these facts together with how we looked when we came out of the portal, and we know we've been changed."

"_Why_ are you summarizing everything?" Danny demanded.

"Because I'm writing it all down," Phantom snapped.

"Gees, you're like Jazz."

"Your sister?" Phantom asked, his nose wrinkling. "Well, blame my teachers…and mentor. They made me do it all the time."

"Fine," Danny said, looking inside another drawer. "I'll go along with it. You might as well add how our appearances changed after the portal shocked us."

"Good idea," Phantom said absently, writing again. "Our clothes got inverted, I looked like a full ghost with white hair, and you looked like me but with mostly black hair instead of white…and glowing blue eyes. We returned to normal as soon as you passed out."

"We did?" Danny asked, surprised.

"Uh-huh," Phantom replied, still writing. "It was kinda weird. These light-rings appeared out of nowhere around our waists and traveled along our bodies. When they were gone, we were back to being our abnormal selves…at least, I was abnormal looking. You looked pretty normal, as long as you didn't count the dorky jumpsuit."

"Huh. Weird…and it's not _that_ dorky."

"_Right_. That's why you got out of it as fast as you could."

"…At least the emblem made it better, didn't it?" Danny asked, cringing a little on the inside. That was exactly why he hadn't wanted to wear the jumpsuit…not that he knew he would be making a first impression in the first place when he decided to help his parents out.

"Yeah," Phantom replied, looking up and giving him a reassuring smile. "It made it a lot less dorky. What does it stand for, anyway?"

Danny blushed, suddenly remembering what they _did_ mean. He chuckled a little. "Danny Phantom."

Phantom gaped at him then burst out laughing. "That's irony for ya," he gasped out.

"Yeah," Danny agreed. He found the thermometer and walked back to the couch. "But then, irony's a fan of mine." He plopped down next to the ghost. "Alright, Phantom," he said, holding up the thermometer, "say 'Ah.'"

Phantom frowned at the thermometer. "What is that?" he asked him warily, backing away from him. "Some sort of stick?"

He laughed. "It's _just_ a thermometer, Phantom." He held the digital "stick" up closer to Phantom's mouth. The ghost turned away from it again.

"That's great Danny," Phantom said, eyeing the thing carefully. "Seeing as how I know _exactly_ what that is."

"Oh, it just shocks you," Danny replied. Phantom's eyes widened. "It was a _joke_!" Phantom looked at him doubtfully. "Urgh. Watch." He stuck the silver end inside his mouth, under his tongue, and pushed the green button. "Mmre?"

Phantom laughed. "Dude, you look ridiculous!"

Danny rolled his eyes. The thermometer beeped and he pulled it out. "95.5," he read.

"That normal?" Phantom asked.

Danny shook his head. "My normal temp is 97.8."

"Right. Abnormal temp for Danny," he wrote, reading aloud again. "Two point two degrees off target."

Danny wiped his saliva off the end on his PJs. "Alright, Phantom. You're turn."

Phantom glanced up and wrinkled his nose. "Uh, no offense, but that was in your _mouth_. It's not going into _mine_."

"I cleaned it off," Danny protested.

"Wiping it on pajamas is _not_ cleaning."

Danny shrugged. "Well, if you don't wanna, you don't have to. There's another way to do it. Mom used to use it on me when I was little. Figures you'd prefer it that way." Phantom's eyes narrowed, trying to figure out if that was an insult. "You just stick it under your armpit and add an extra degree.

Phantom made a face. "It's been under your armpit before and yet you still put it in your mouth?"

"What are you? A clean freak? Just lift you arm up and stop complaining." Phantom sighed and did as he was told. Danny put the thermometer there and held his arm down. Phantom squirmed. "Eww! It's still got spit on it!"

"Crybaby," Danny teased. Phantom glared at him. The thermometer beeped and Danny pulled it out.

"Well?" Phantom asked curiously.

"Is 35.5 normal for you?" Danny asked.

"It's two degrees warmer than normal for halfa ghosts." He wrote it down on the clipboard. "Great. Now I can't freeze water on contact." He tucked the pencil behind his ear when he finished and smiled at Danny. "My turn to choose an experiment now, right?" Danny nodded cautiously, not liking the way Phantom's eyes were lit up. The ghost's smile widened. "Well, we ghosts have different blood than you humans do. Ours is called ecto-plasm and it's how we spread our ecto-energy throughout our bodies…how we are able to use our powers. You humans use blood to transport oxygen to all your organs, right? Well, I have to breathe now, so I must have to do _something_ with it; and you can turn yourself intangible so you have ecto-energy and must be able to transport that somehow. So, I'm wondering what's happened to our bloods."

"But for us to see our blood we'll have to…" Danny trailed off.

"That's right. Now, do you got like a pocket knife or something around here or do I need to get a knife from the kitchen?" Phantom asked, all too cheerfully.

"We are _not_ drawing blood, Phantom," Danny protested, crossing his arms stubbornly. "That's gross."

He gave him an annoyed look. "You stick a stick that had been in your armpit before, and yet _I'm_ the gross one?"

"There's a large difference between armpit sweat and blood."

Phantom rolled his eyes and floated up off the coach, heading towards the kitchen. "Who's the crybaby, now?" Danny scowled and grabbed the pocket knife inside pajama's pocket and threw it at Phantom's head. "Hey! Oh." Phantom switched the blade open and cut his finger without hesitation.

Danny grimaced but Phantom frowned. "What's wrong?" Danny asked him. Phantom wordlessly flew back over to him and held his finger up for Danny's inspection. Little red drops were mixed in with the green. "You got human blood," he commented.

"Yup," Phantom said. He wiped the blood off the knife on his cape. "Alright, Danny. Give me your hand." Danny shifted uneasily. "Gees. It's _just_ a little cut."

"We already know your blood—er, ecto-plasm or whatever--has been changed," Danny protested. "Can't we just assume my blood's been too?"

"Nope," Phantom denied. "Better safe than sorry. We don't want the hunters all of a sudden seeing you with ghost blood, do we? So we need to know for sure so we can prepare against it."

Danny sighed and wordlessly held out his hand. Phantom brought the tip of the blade to his right middle finger. "Oww!" Danny exclaimed.

"This is ridiculous!" Phantom cried impatiently. "I haven't even broken the skin yet!"

"It's _cold_!"

"Good. Then it should numb you." He "cut" Danny's finger quickly—ignoring his startled yelp—and looked closely at his blood. "Yup. You definitely better keep from bleeding around the hunters." He grabbed the clipboard and wrote down the gathered information.

Danny glared at his cut finger and changed blood before sticking it into his mouth. "That hurt," he grumbled.

Phantom gave him an odd look. "You don't get hurt much, do you?"

"No. Everyone's too overprotective of me. Why?"

"Because you have a very low threshold for pain," he replied, smiling at him.

Danny scowled angrily. "Alright, Phantom. My turn." He got up from the couch and ran up stairs. He came back down with something hidden behind his back.

Phantom looked at him cautiously from under his bangs. "What's behind your back?" he asked suspiciously.

Danny shrugged. "Just a simple electronic." He smiled impishly. "Smile, Phantom," he said cheerfully, bringing a camera from behind his back. He took Phantom's picture before he could even think to duck from the flash. The ghost hissed in pain and rubbed his eyes furiously.

Danny inspected the picture. "Huh," he said. "You came out crystal clear. There goes showing up as mist to every camera."

Phantom squinted/glared at Danny. "You _know_ ghosts are sensitive to light," he complained.

"No. I forgot," Danny denied innocently, twirling the camera around his finger by the wrist band. (There's an oxymoronic action :P) "Besides, it proved a point, didn't it?"

Phantom huffed then smiled. "Alright. I want to know how well you can see in the dark."

Danny frowned. "You already know, Phantom. I did trip down the stairs before you turned on the light."

"That doesn't count. You're naturally clumsy."

Danny stuck his tongue out at him. Phantom smiled and became invisible. A second later, all the lights went out. Danny heard scraping noises and he looked around frantically. "Hey! Phantom! You better not try anything," he warned.

"Psht. That's what this whole thing is about," the disembodied voice of Phantom said from near the kitchen. "Now walk towards me."

"What?"

"C'mon. It's just your living room."

Danny frowned and took a step forward. Another. Another. Ano—Danny tripped over something. Danny groaned and kicked what he assumed was the coffee table angrily. Bad idea. He hissed and jumped on the uninjured foot. "I can't see, Phantom! Turn on the stupid lights!"

"Stop being a baby and get over here."

Danny growled angrily. "Turn on the lights."

"No."

"_Now_."

"You can stop trying to boss me around at any time, you know."

"Phan—Oh!"

"Oh? Oh what?"

"I can see!" Danny stared at the blue tinted room in wonder. Phantom had made an obstacle course of the living room, dragging everything from the coffee table to a small shoe box to the middle of the path towards him. "Oh, well that was nice."

"What?!" Phantom exclaimed. "Darn it! Your eyes are glowing."

"They are?" Danny asked, smiling as he began walking around the obstacles and towards the floating ghost. "Neat."

Phantom flew back past Danny and turned the lights back on. He sulkily flopped back onto the couch and wrote on the clipboard. "So you can give yourself ghost eyes to see in the dark…or more likely when you get angry. I didn't see them light up when you fell."

Danny began cleaning up Phantom's mess. "Maybe. Did they go away?"

Phantom glanced up and nodded. "Yup." He looked back down at the clipboard.

Danny stood up straight and put his hands on his hips. "You _can_ help clean up _your_ mess, you know."

Phantom sighed and set the clipboard down. "Fine." He got up and pulled the coffee table back into place. When the living room was back to normal, Phantom went straight back to the couch and flopped down again.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Danny asked.

Phantom shrugged. "It's fun. My mentor didn't have couches in his tower." He stretched. "So, what's your test, Danny?"

Danny tiled his head to the side in consideration. He looked down at his hand and smiled. "I want to see if I can fly."

Phantom sat up quickly. "Fly? Aren't you afraid of heights?"

Danny glared at him. "No, I'm _not_."

Phantom shook his head. "You sure, Danny? I mean, it can be dangerous."

Danny shrugged. "Alright, then I'll start off small. You know, floating. How do you do it?"

Phantom got off the couch and walked over to him. He put his hand on his shoulder and pushed gravity away from him. Danny's mouth formed an "o" as he became weightless. "Try to copy that sensation," Phantom instructed before removing his hand and stepping back. Danny nodded and closed his eyes tight, his forehead wrinkling in concentration and his knees bent. Phantom laughed. "You look constipated!"

"Shuddup," Danny grumbled absently.

He stayed like that for a long time. Phantom yawned. "You almost done, yet? You've been trying for, like, five minutes."

"I think I got," Danny said, his eyes still squeezed shut.

Phantom put his hand on his shoulder again to check. He shook his head. "No. You don't. Gravity's on you. Try relaxing, Danny." Danny loosened his shoulders. "That's relaxed? You need to work on that. Just focus on a single point behind your eyes. Meditate almost."

Danny did as instructed. He wasn't sure if he had it, but he felt something funny around his stomach. "Do I got it?" he asked.

Phantom's hand returned to his shoulder. The ghost laughed. "Well, whadda know," he said. "You have control of your center of gravity."

"I got what?" Danny asked, his eyes snapping open. The funny feeling left.

"Eh. It's back," Phantom sounded disappointed. "Well, you had it."

"Had what? Was I floating?"

"No. Weren't you listening? You changed your center of gravity."

"And that means…?

"That means you changed the place where gravity centers on you and still didn't fall or become unbalanced. If you get better control of it you…can do a lot," Phantom said with his head tilted to the side. "You can do back flips and such as if you were walking, I think. At the very least, you could become very graceful."

"Ah!" Danny smiled broadly. "That's awesome!"

Phantom shrugged. "Flying's better." He smiled a little. "Actually, in order to find out if you _can_ fly, we'll have to give you a little lift first. That's how we ghosts learn how. We need an instinct boost."

"Ok. You're point is—PHANTOM! _Put me down_!" Phantom had hooked his arms under Danny's armpits and lifted him up through the ceiling all in one single motion.

"Well, you wanted to learn to fly," Phantom replied innocently, flying intangibly through the roof. Danny gasped as they were suddenly a hundred feet from the ground.

"No! I said I wanted to take things _slowly_!" Danny looked down at the slowly dwindling house in dismay as Phantom continued to fly them up into the sky. They finally stopped their ascent when the neon lights looked like a glowing ant.

"Yeah, _afterwards_. Besides, we're already up here, so you might as well go through with it."

Danny looked down nervously. "I'm not so sure about this, Phantom."

He felt the ghost shrug. "I'll catch you before you hit the ground, Danny. I won't let you die. That'd be like suicide."

Danny didn't pay attention to the last bit. He shook his head. "No. No way. I'm not doing it."

"Stop being a scardy-cat," Phantom chastised.

"But—_PHANTOM_!" Danny screamed as the ghost turned intangible. He felt himself slip through his hands and plummet to the earth. His hair whipped around widely and he felt himself start to cartwheel. "YOU JERK!" He spread his arms out and managed to slow the rolling down, though not his freefall.

"Just relax, Danny." Danny turned his head to the right and saw Phantom flying head first down beside him. "Like what you did at the house. It's all instincts."

Danny closed his eyes and tried. He really did, but you try to relax and concentrate when your freefalling. "I-I CAN'T!"

"We're almost back to the ground. Try a little more."

Danny glared at him. "WHEN WE GET BACK I SWEAR YOU'RE GOING TO REGRET THIS!"

Phantom rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm sure I will. Now try again." Danny grumbled but did as he was told. A few minutes later he felt cold hands grab his wrists. He looked up and glared murderously at Phantom. "Well, you can't fly, Danny," the ghost said lightly, smiling at him as he lowered them to the earth at a much slower pace.

Danny growled and started thrashing, trying to hit his tormentor. "No duh."

Phantom grumbled and tightened his grip. "Stop struggling, Danny! I'm losing my grip!" Danny stopped faster than he could blink. Phantom sighed and shook his head. "Gees. You'd think I'd tried to kill you or something." Danny gave him a pointed look which he ignored. "You can't fly, but you _can_ slow your pace down a little."

Danny blew hair out of his eyes. "Wonderful," he muttered sarcastically as they descended into the house. As soon as Phantom set him down on the floor, he grabbed his arm and dragged him into the kitchen, too angry to really think about kissing the ground.

Phantom struggled a little at first since he'd set his precious clipboard down and they were leaving it behind. He concentrated and it slowly levitated over to him. "Sweet!" he crowed. He took the pencil out from behind his ear and wrote their new powers down.

Danny just rolled his eyes, letting go of his arm. He stood up on his tip toes so he could reach the cupboard above the counters. He grabbed a small glass cup and shut the door. Phantom watched him curiously from under his bangs as he turned on the faucet and filled the cup up with water. When it was full, Danny held it out to him. "Drink," he commanded.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?" he asked, but accepted the cup.

"Because I want to know if you have a bladder," Danny replied, crossing his arms.

Phantom's eyes suddenly lit up. "Ah. I see. You want me to explode."

Danny shrugged. "If you want to put it that way."

"Alright, Danny," Phantom said, smiling evilly. "But this'll mean war." He lifted the cup up and drained the water in five seconds. When he was done, he gasped for breath.

"Dude," Danny said as he refilled the cup, "the war has _already_ begun." Phantom smiled and took the cup again. He drained it quickly.

The process continued until Phantom glared at the seventh glass, still gasping to catch his breath. "C'mon, Phantom," Danny cheered cheerfully. "Chug it! Chug it!"

Phantom turned his glare to him. "Is this really necessary? Haven't I proven already that I don't have to empty myself?"

Danny smiled mischievously. "One more. You can do _one_ more, can't you?"

Phantom sighed and drank the water, much slower than before. He gasped when he was finished and shoved the glass into Danny's hands. "There! Test taken and proven wrong! No more!" He brought the clipboard up, but Danny stopped him from writing anything down by grabbing his wrist.

"Ah-ah, Phantom," he said, still smiling. "It takes time for the water to pass through you."

Phantom scowled, but then he smiled mischievously too. "Fine. Now it's my turn." He grabbed Danny's wrist and pulled him down to the stairs that led into the lab.

"Hey!" Danny cried. "Why are we going down _there_?!"

"For _my_ test," Phantom replied impishly. He took the cup out of Danny's hand and flew through the ghost portal. He came back a second later with the cup filled with yellow glowing liquid. He pushed the cup into Danny's reluctant hands. "Drink," he commanded in the tone Danny had used in the kitchen.

"What?" Danny asked incredulously. "It's _glowing_!"

"So?" Phantom said, tilting his head to the side. "The water looked just as strange to me. This is just ecto-water from the Ghost Zone. We ghosts drink it all the time."

Danny's nose wrinkled as he sniffed it. "And just what _does_ ecto stand for?"

"Um…" Phantom mumbled evasively. "We just, uh, use the word instead of ghost."

"So this is ghost water?"

"_Kinda_…"

"It's yellow…Eww! It's pee, isn't it?!"

Phantom chocked on air. "What?! I do _not_ drink pee, Danny!

"You could have been lying about drinking it," Danny muttered.

Phantom shook his head. "No. Ghosts don't go. We absorb all the ecto-waters. We have to go pee."

"And I'm supposed to 'absorb' this stuff?" Danny asked warily.

"Yup. Now c'mon and drink. It's not harmful. The least that'll happen is you'll need to empty yourself of it."

Danny sighed. "Fine." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes tight. He lifted the cup up to his mouth and drank the glowing liquid. He gagged a little when he finished and shoved the cup into Phantom's hand. "That it?" he asked hopefully. The stuff had tasted funny and sent shocks down his throat as he drank it…and there was this weird aftertaste. Kinda like milk. He wasn't sure he liked it.

Phantom smiled. "That's it. I won't make _you_ drink seven cups of the stuff. One's enough."

"Phew," Danny sighed, slumping a little.

Phantom smiled evilly and flew over to a trash bucket. He picked it up and flew back to Danny, holding it out to him. Danny raised an eyebrow. "Well," Phantom started, "if you can't absorb it, it'll need to come out. Easiest route would be up, I'm guessing."

Danny gulped. "Is one cup hard to absorb?"

"For a human? Yup. For you? Probably."

Danny glared at him. "You are _so_ going to ge—" His stomach growled angrily and he hurriedly snatched the waste bucket from Phantom's hand just as he regurgitated the stuff.

Phantom patted his back as he dry heaved. "Huh. So that really _is_ what happens when a human's stomach doesn't agree with what they've eaten."

Danny growled and wiped his mouth. Phantom flew up to the ceiling hurriedly, not liking the murderous look in his eyes. "You are _so DEAD_!" the human yelled at the ghost.

The yell reverberated against the walls and echoed back forcefully to them. The halfas winced in pain and clenched their hands over their ears. When the echo finally stopped, they slowly lowered their hands.

"I think," Phantom started, lowering himself down to the ground and keeping a wary eye on Danny, "that we need to tone things down a little."

Danny smiled. "Oh, no you don't. I'm _going_ to get revenge."

Phantom smiled nervously. "Just let me check something." He looked down at the bucket, plugging his nose as he did so. He took the clipboard and wrote something down.

"There _was_ a reason for that?" Danny asked.

"Well sure," Phantom replied, frowning innocently at him. "I wouldn't make you do something without a reason behind it. We just found out that you can absorb a small amount of ecto stuff."

"I thought that it was water."

"Oh, it is. It's what a major part of all things ecto are made of. If you can absorb that, then you can absorb anything ecto-ish."

"But I didn't. I pucked it up."

"Not _all_ of it," Phantom corrected. He looked down at the bucket and smiled evilly. He picked the bucket up and flew into the portal again. When he came back, the bucket was empty.

Danny raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

"Oh, nothing," he replied, smiling innocently. "Alright. What's your next 'test,' Danny?" Danny tilted his head to the side, a thoughtful look on his face. He looked around the room curiously. Phantom saw this and shook his head wildly. "Oh no, Danny. No inventions."

"But that eliminates so many ideas," Danny complained.

"Yeah, a lot of _painful_ ideas," Phantom said, crossing his arms. "But, if you need more convincing, if you get to use those inventions on me, I get to use 'em on _you_, and trust me, I'm sure they _will_ work on you."

Danny huffed. "Fine. I—" A rumble echoed around the lab. The halfas looked around curiously.

"What was that?" Phantom asked, his eyes narrowing as he shifted in midair.

The noise came again.

Danny looked at Phantom with a raised eyebrow. The ghost continued looking around the lab. The rumble came again and Phantom looked down at his stomach in surprise. "What the hell?!" he exclaimed, hugging it. Danny burst out laughing at his distraught expression. He glared at him. "This is you and that water's fault, isn't it?"

Danny continued to laugh.

Phantom's stomach rumbled again and he groaned. "This isn't funny, Danny," he yelled. "It hurts!"

Danny managed to calm down a little until the stomach growled once more. Then he started all over.

"Danny!"

"Alright, alright," Danny gasped, stopping his giggling. "Has your stomach been hurting for a while now?"

"A bit, yeah."

"Like you got ants or something eating it from the inside out?"

"…That was a little morbid, but yeah."

"I learned it from Sam. And the reason why you're hurting is because you're hungry."

Phantom gaped at him. "Hungry?"

"Yup. You need to eat."

"But I've never eaten anything in my whole life!"

"Exactly," Danny said, smiling broadly. He began pushing Phantom upstairs. "That's why you're so hungry."

"Oh. So, how do I fix it?"

Danny sighed.

* * *

Phantom glared at the table as Danny got a loaf of bread from the cupboard. "This is ridiculous!" he complained angrily. "I shouldn't have to eat."

"Stop complaining already," Danny said, rolling his eyes. "You've said that, like, ten times now. Give it a rest."

"Well, it's not fair. I shouldn't have to."

Danny gave him an odd look. "You have to breathe, have a heartbeat, and all these other wonderful new features, and all you care to complain about is having to eat? Eating's gotta be the better of them all. At least you get some pleasure out of it."

"I've already complained about those others to death," Phantom replied dismissively. "This is something new."

"Whatever." They were quiet then as Danny got out the peanut butter and a knife. It must have been uncomfortable for him, though, because he wasn't quiet for long. "So," he started. "What were you doing when the portal opened? Just stand—er, floating around?"

"No," Phantom said, watching curiously as Danny got four slices of bread out. "Cl…My mentor sent me to get rid of the ghosts getting ready to invade your world."

Danny juggled the slices of bread he'd nearly dropped. He looked up at the ghost, startled. "W-what was that?"

Phantom sighed and let gravity have its way and slumped into the chair as it pressed him down. "My mentor had 'accidentally' let it slip where and when your portal was going to open up to one ghost who quickly informed the whole Ghost Zone for days ago. About half of our population decided it was a perfect opportunity to invade." He leaned forward, resting his cheek against his fist as he flicked some crumbs off the table. "He knew that I'm a halfa, but he sent me to disperse those hostile full ghosts anyway. I stood no chance if they decided to not listen to me." He sighed. "I'm starting to think he set it all up so I _would_ be there when the portal opened."

Danny placed the bread slices, knife, and the jar of peanut butter down on the table and sat down across from him. "Why's that?" He grabbed a slice and started spreading the peanut butter on it.

"When the portal was opened, I got sucked through atom-by-atom. With the ghosts floating there like they were when I first got there, a lot of them would have been sucked in if I hadn't been." He glanced up at Danny before continuing. "Ghosts have a…well, I guess you'd call it a 'bonding' feature when we're torn apart like that and then reformed. If that would have happened, they all would have…fused, in theory, making one very powerful ghost since there would be more than one soul powering them." He let out his breath slowly as he started moving his finger across the table in random circles. "Instead of them becoming a super ghost, he sent me to be the one to be pulled through."

Danny looked up from his buttering. "But I was the whole reason the portal turned on in the first place, and it was all an accident. How could he have known?" Phantom shook his head. "Seriously. It was all an accident. I was just going to go in there and see if a wire was out of place or somethin'."

"So what went wrong?"

Danny returned to making them their sandwiches as he answered. "I got this funny feeling when I went in. I scared myself when I asked what was going on and accidently pushed what was probably an on switch."

Phantom sat forward, hands on the table as he gave his human an intense stare. "This…feeling, did it feel like the feeling you had before I scared you earlier tonight?"

Danny frowned at him. "Yeah…it did."

Phantom slumped back in his chair. "You have that feeling when and only when I'm around, don't you?" Danny nodded thoughtfully. "If I hadn't been there when you were trying to fix the portal, then you never would have turned it on." Danny's eyes narrowed and he looked back down at the sandwiches and started to butter them again, looking troubled. Phantom ignored him as he continued talking to himself. "He didn't send me there to keep the ghosts from merging, he sent me there so I would become a half human freak." His fists clenched and Danny frowned at him again. "He's been planning this since he first took me in, I bet. He taught me more things about the human world than the observants had bothered with and he's always tried to make me see things in a certain light."

"Phantom?"

And when he sent for me yesterday, the observants started freaking out only when I was half—"

"Phantom!"

"—way out of their place. They were only able to tell what he planned to do with me after he called me back, of course. Why that jerk. He's been—"

"_Phantom_!"

"What?! Can't you see I'm working up a rant?" Phantom demanded.

Danny sighed. "Yeah. I saw. Now here's your sandwich." He held out two slices of bread piled up on top of each other out to Phantom.

The ghost gave the "sandwich" a dubious look, but took it, if a little reluctantly. He sniffed it and looked at Danny with a raised eyebrow. "And this'll fix the stomach pains?"

Danny smiled a little. "Well, yeah. A little, at least. It depends. But Jazz told me that you really shouldn't eat a lot if you've gone a long time without eating."

Phantom cocked his head to the side. "Wouldn't you want me to get hurt for your revenge?"

Danny frowned at him. "I don't _hate_ you, Phantom. I'm playing when I say that stuff. Mostly, anyway. It's what friends do." Phantom shifted a little. Danny chuckled. "Don't tell me you've never had any friends?" Phantom didn't say anything. He just fingered the sandwich thoughtfully. "Oh…um…"

Phantom looked up and gave him a small smile. "Don't worry about it, Danny. I _wasn't_ lonely all my life."

Danny frowned. "You weren't? But you didn't have any friends…"

"I had acquaintances."

Danny shook his head. "That's not the same as friends, Phantom. Friends are people you can depend on. Acquaintances won't do that."

"I had someone I could depend on," Phantom said softly. "At least, I thought I did…"

Danny shifted uncomfortably. "Er…uh…"

Phantom laughed, albeit, a little weakly. "Gees, Danny. Pick a sound and stick with it."

Danny huffed and sat back down across from him. "Just eat your sandwich. It'll make you feel better." He raised his own sandwich to his mouth before freezing, a strange look coming to his face. It looked playful…and devious…

"What?" Phantom asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing," Danny replied. "I just thought of your next test. Hurry up and eat."

Phantom groaned. "Great motivation there, Danny. 'Hurry up and eat so I can get my revenge and kill you!'"

Danny just smirked and continued to eat his sandwich.

Phantom pursed his lips together, but brought the sandwich to his mouth and took a bite. His eyes widened as his taste buds reacted to the small bite. He eagerly took more. "Whoa, whoa," Danny chided, trying not to laugh. "You have to chew too, dude!" He demonstrated by exaggeratedly chewing. The ghost rolled his eyes but slowed down his eating.

"Phantom?" Danny called softly after a while of silence.

Phantom looked up with his cheeks stuffed. "Rah?"

"Um…" Danny bit his lip and looked as if he was trying to put something into words.

Phantom swallowed his food so he could talk easier. "What is it?"

"…Are _we_ friends?" Danny asked.

Phantom raised an eyebrow and stared at him for a moment. He smiled and shrugged. "We seem to be getting there, I guess. I'm not entirely sure what that means, though. Of course, being my human half, I'm sure friendship would be a natural halfa reaction…if both halves managed to get over their hatred."

Danny frowned at him, denial in his eyes. "That's if you're telling the truth about halfas…And if I am your human half."

Phantom rolled his eyes and took another bite of his sandwich. "Think what you want, Danny," he muttered around the food in his mouth. "But friendship'll have to wait until you learn to trust me."

* * *

**Eh, a little fluffy-ish at the end. Nice way to end it though, right? They seem a bit ooc to me near the end and a little up front, but that could just be me. It just seemed like they couldn't stick with an emotion at the end. **

**Phantom actually said they were their other halves. Too bad Danny won't listen. We'll see about that. Oh, and, Phantom doesn't eat as much as humans. He just needs to eat sometimes. Maybe once every one or two days.**

**See? They experimented with each other...mostly. I hope I did it justice. I'm not sure how well it came out. I had fun typing it, even if their personalities were giving me trouble. I can't help but think Danny came off as a little wimpy. Don't know why. Maybe because Phantom had better ideas, i guess. Oh, and, if i start favoring one of them, you gotta warn me. They have to remain equals! lol**

**I hope I gave enough description. I wasn't sure about how to describe the living room so I didn't. I'm not sure what it looks like. Just that they have a circular couch and all that basic stuff. Let me know if I should fix that, though. I don't mind going over it.**

**The next chapter continues on with their "experiments" but it's less experiments and more...um...how do I say this without giving it away? Eh, the chapter'll either be called Boys will be Boys or a Boys Night or something. I'm still open for suggestions on what they can do for each other. Just let me know what you think might have changed with them and I'll give a story around it in answer :D**

**Thanks for reading, I hope you got a lot of laughes, hope I did it justice, and please review! :D**


	10. Delays

**I'm very late, huh? Sorry. I had writers block...and a family full of computer hogs ;(**

**To the reviewers!  
Thunderstorm101: **lol. Yeah. That's kinda what happens, but I can't make Phantom just...uh, lose it. I just can't write it :P I doubt Phantom thought about it. He's used to absorbing everything. Danny thought of it, but he's probably going to regret it ;)  
**DPcrazy: **Good. I like laughs :D I guess it would be normal for them. I'm just afraid of making his emotions all jerky. I'll name it that, but next chapter. Because of my writing block, I had to change direction and so it's delayed...sort of. As for Danny's evil plan, well, you'll have to wait and see. *evil smile*  
**Woken Laughing: **I'm glad it did :D I liked that part best ;) I'd forgotten about the family waking up. It just didn't occur to me a whole lot. Hope I made up for it here. I like Phantom too and that's the problem. Darn it. I still like Danny, but Phantom's more fun. It's because he's a ghost, i bet ;)  
**Kiomori:** Cool! Don't worry. They're boys. They bounce right back ;) You got a point. Thanks. It'd been bothering me a bit.  
**Thank you all very much for reviewing! :D**

**So, yeah. A change in direction. It's not so bad and I like the new one. It'll be easier for me to continue their tortures this way ;)**

**I no own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

Chapter 8  
Delays

Phantom brushed the bread crumbs off the table after he'd finished the sandwich. He had to admit, it really was fun to eat. Eating wasn't so bad, he supposed. It was probably like how Danny put it, the better of his problems. The worst would probably have to be gravity. All the others just seemed…well, just there; normal. But gravity wasn't. It was a persistent pain. Darn gravity.

He glanced up and gave Danny an uncertain look. He'd yet to tell him what his test was going to be, but judging by what he'd made him do so far, he wasn't too sure he was looking forward to it. Oh sure, the tests hadn't been really all that bad. Short term, anyway. There was that matter about why his midsection was starting to feel funny…

Phantom stiffened automatically when Danny finished his sandwich and stood up. The human raised an eyebrow and laughed.

Phantom scowled. "Well, what do you expect?"

"A ghost who's not afraid of a little human," Danny replied, smiling smugly.

Phantom crossed his arms sulkily. "Well, you aren't exactly a nice kid."

Danny snorted. "You make a death trap of my living room, drop me a million feet above the ground, and then make me drink ghost pee—"

"Water."

"—and yet _I'm_ the mean one?"

Phantom tapped his chin thoughtfully before nodding. "Yup."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Your logic is skewed, dude."

Phantom just shrugged.

Danny frowned and crossed his arms. "You're paranoid, you know that?"

"It crossed my mind a few times. Most notably when you yelled 'You're so dead, Phantom!' about ten minutes ago."

Danny sighed and shook his head. "Fine. Believe what you want."

Phantom smiled. "I am….So what's your test, Danny?"

Danny cocked his head to the side. "Actually, I hadn't thought it out completely."

"We've been sitting here doing nothing for five minutes and you're saying you haven't put much thought into it?" Phantom demanded incredulously.

"I had other things to think about."

"Oh, I see where I rank in your mind now."

"Actually, you _were_ the subject," Danny said. Phantom pursed his lips then smiled. He was probably thinking about halfas. "But, just because I haven't given that test much thought, doesn't mean I'm without backup."

Phantom groaned. "Try not to kill me."

"Considering you're a ghost…"

"A ghost who's more alive than he should be."

"Point," Danny conceded, chuckling a little. "I'll be doing it too, so I doubt you'll get hurt too badly."

Phantom frowned. "It's not like another thermometer, is it?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "No. I want to know how long we can hold our breath."

Phantom gave him a questioning look. "Hold our breath."

"Yeah."

"…You're losing your touch, Danny." Phantom crossed his arms and leaned back, giving Danny a superior look.

Danny smirked back. "That'll depend on how well you can hold your breath."

Phantom snorted. "How hard could it be? Especially considering I'm more used to not breathing than having to."

Danny shrugged. "We won't know till we try it. Besides, you're not _just_ going to hold your breath. We'll need help with that."

"What do you mean help?"

"Well, would you rather use the bathroom or the kitchen sink?"

Phantom frowned in confusion. "What are you—oh! Hold our breath _underwater_."

Danny nodded, smiling. "Yup. So, which one?"

Phantom tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm. How about the bathroom? Sticking my head into the kitchen's sink just seems…wrong."

Danny laughed. "Good. I feel the same way…" He frowned at the thought.

Phantom saw this and smiled, rolling his eyes. "Alright. Shall we get going, O Denialing One?"

Danny blew hair out of his eyes and glared at him. "In a second. I need to get the timer."

It took him about two minutes to find the stupid digital stop watch.

Phantom rolled his eyes when he saw it. "I could have told you it was on top of the microwave if you'd just told me what it looked like," he pointed out.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter now." He walked out of the kitchen and Phantom flew after him, intending to fly him to the bathroom to save time. But Danny spun around before he could grab him. Phantom pulled up in surprise and almost collided with him. "We are _not_ flying there, Phantom," Danny told him stubbornly.

Phantom stared at him for a while before sulkily crossing his arms. "Walking is so _slow_, though."

"After my past experience with you flying me, it's not going to happen anytime soon."

"Ah, so you _are_ afraid of heights!"

Danny opened and closed his mouth for a moment before spinning around and continuing his aggravatingly slow pace towards the bathroom with a stiff back. Phantom sighed and followed him, floating horizontally on his back. Bad idea seeing as how he didn't know the lay of the house very well. He crashed head on into the wall. He groaned and felt himself slide to the floor thanks to gravity. Danny stood over him, laughing hysterically. He glared at him, fully intending to do something the human wouldn't appreciate at all.

But luckily, he didn't have to.

Danny yelped mid laugh when one of his legs became intangible and he toppled over.

Phantom pointed to him and laughed as hard as Danny had at him. Danny turned away from looking at his leg in shock to glare daggers at Phantom. Phantom ignored it and continued to laugh, picturing over and over how Danny's face had looked.

"You can stop any minute now, Phantom," Danny pointed out angrily.

"Then give me a minute," he gasped out. He looked at Danny's angry/embarrassed face and repeated the process.

"Well, at least I didn't run into a _wall_."

That shut Phantom up. He smiled, though, and floated off the floor. "I'm sure you've done that at least once in your life. Falling through the floor is new, though."

Danny shrugged. "I suppose. But don't expect me to be sympathetic in the next few minutes or hours."

Phantom frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?" Danny just smiled mysteriously and headed up the stairs. Phantom flew after him quickly. "Whoa, whoa! You can't just say something like that and walk away!" _Although Clockwork does it all the time…Urgh! Stop thinking about him. _Danny raised an eyebrow at him but didn't say anything. Phantom sighed. _'Nother Clockwork in the making, I bet…You just don't understand the whole forgetting concept, do you, Phantom?_

When they reached the top of the stairs, Phantom stopped and frowned. Danny looked over his shoulder at him and raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Well, we haven't exactly been quiet, so…" Phantom trailed off.

Danny smiled, though. "Have you ever heard Dad snore? Mom wears Fenton earplugs to drown him out."

"What about Jazz?"

Danny pursed his lips. "You got a point there. She sleeps up here so we'll have to be quiet," Danny told him sternly.

Phantom smiled. "Quiet's my middle name." Danny rolled his eyes. "Seriously. Phantom be-quiet." Danny shook his head and walked into the bathroom. "Hey! That was funny!" Phantom raced in after him.

Danny smiled over his shoulder at him. "If you say so." He turned on the hot and cold water. He tested it a few times, changing the temperature occasionally when it didn't feel right, and then turned back to Phantom. He gestured to the water. "This work for you?"

Phantom floated forward and warily put his hand under the water. He jerked it out with a hiss. "I think you need it to be colder."

Danny frowned and put his hand under the water again. He shook his head. "If anything it's pretty cold already."

"It's hot."

"Cold."

"_Hot_."

"_Cold_."

"Hot!"

"Cold!"

"_HO_—mmf!" Danny had put his hands over Phantom's mouth.

"We have to be quiet, remember?" he whispered.

Phantom knocked his hands away. "Yeah, yeah. You were yelling too, though."

Danny shrugged. "Not as loud as you were about to."

"Fine. Whatever. What do we do about the water?"

"Well, I don't want to have to refill it for us seperately, but it looks like I'll have to. I suppose you want me to go first?"

Phantom nodded. "Yup. I think it'd be best."

Danny nodded too before handing Phantom the stop watch and plugging the sink. "Just push this button here when I'm ready," he instructed. "Push it again when I come back up, K?"

Phantom gave the little black stop watch a look over and nodded. "Got it. How long do you think you can last under there?"

Danny shrugged. "I dunno. A minute and half or maybe two, I guess."

"That's not very long," Phantom pointed out.

"It's normal for humans who haven't trained…I think."

"Alright, alright. Let's see how long you can go."

"Longer than you, I bet."

Phantom's eyes narrowed and he smiled. "Alright. I bet you I you can't."

Danny smiled back. "Actual bet?"

"Why not?"

"How about the winner chooses the next test?"

"That's not fair. I was going to anyway."

"Fine then you get two turns if you win. Fair?"

"Fair."

"Good. Wish me luck." Danny brought his face close to the water so the tip of his nose touched it.

"Now why ever would I do that?"

"Just push the stupid button," Danny said. He breathed in deep, slow breathes before plunging his head under.

Phantom clicked the button quickly and watched the letters change with interest. It was definitely more amusing than Clockwork's old clocks. Phantom glanced at Danny and chuckled. He reminded him of an ostrich with his head underwater like that.

He sighed and leaned against the sink next to Danny. He watched unseeing as the seconds on the stopwatch continued their count upwards. When it got to one minute, he groaned and scuffed his feet on the tiled floor. He'd finally learned the knack of letting some of gravity push him down so he touched the floor without…pushing him _into_ the floor.

He looked down at Danny and chuckled again. Half of his hair floated above the water like a black halo. How weird.

Two minutes down.

Phantom frowned at the watch and looked back at Danny. Could someone die like that? How long could Danny hold his breath? For that matter, how long could _Phantom_?

_Can't be that hard,_ he thought, watching the numbers on the stop watch screen again. _I mean, I've lived fourteen years without breathing. I may have needed to breathe a lot when I first came out of the portal, but I should be able to hold out longer now, right?_

Three minutes.

"Okay, this is ridiculous," Phantom muttered. "Danny's a horrible guesser."

Two minutes and a half later and Danny's head shot out of the water. Phantom looked at him with a raised eyebrow as he gasped for breath. Water dripped from his hair into the water below and some down his face and neck. His face was slightly tinged blue but it was getting slowly back to its normal coloring with each breath.

"How…long?" Danny gasped out.

"Five minutes and twenty-three seconds," Phantom replied, giving the watch another look to make sure.

"Seriously? I thought I was under longer," Danny protested in disbelief. He grabbed a white towel caught in the under sink cabinet doors and dried his face.

Phantom wordlessly showed him the time on the watch when he was done. "Seriously."

Danny sighed. But then he brightened and practically beemed. "I held my breath for five minutes!" he crowed quietly.

Phantom raised his eyebrow again. "Congratulations, Danny," he said sarcastically.

"Hey! I could barely stay under for more than a minute before. It's a very big deal."

Phantom shrugged. "If you say so." He tossed him the stopwatch and cracked his knuckles in preparation. "Now step aside and let me show ya how a ghost handles this."

Danny smiled and obediently stepped aside after unplugging his sink water. Phantom refilled it to his preferred temperature and looked down into his reflection. _I can do this, _he told himself._ I can beat five minutes…and a half._ He took a deep breath and plunged his head under the water…

And came back up sputtering.

Danny burst out laughing. "That wasn't even ten seconds, Phantom!"

Phantom didn't bother to retort, too busy trying to get water out of his nose and to stop it from burning.

"Water up your nose?" Danny asked innocently.

Phantom scowled at him. "You could have warned me."

Danny shook his head. "Babies don't have problem with it. I thought for sure you wouldn't either." Phantom gave him a skeptical look. "But I was hoping you would," Danny relented with an impish smile. "Revenge and all."

Phantom groaned. "This doesn't count for my record, does it?"

Danny frowned. He sighed. "I guess not. It is kinda unfair and all."

"Do I have to go back in or can I just hold my breath?"

"Chicken?" Danny asked with a challenging grin. Phantom glared at him. "Yeah, you do. Just plug your nose when you do and you should be fine."

"Alright. You better not be lying, Danny," Phantom warned, trying to look at him sternly. Danny just smiled innocently again. Phantom sighed. "One, two—"

"Danny?" a female's voice called from outside the bathroom. Phantom instinctively turned invisible when their sister walked in. She had light red hair that was tied back in a robin blue ribbon that matched her eyes at the moment. She wore the pajamas that were the same color and held a brown teddy bear with wild hair and mustache in one arm. "Danny, what are you doing?"

"Uh…" Danny looked at a total loss. "Well, uh…"

Jazz frowned at him. "Well? Spit it out already."

"Ya see, uh..." Phantom came to the sad conclusion that his human half was a terrible liar.

Jazz crossed her arms with her bearded teddy bear held in the crook of an elbow. "Don't even bother trying to lie, Danny. We both know you can't fool me."

Danny shifted uncomfortably. "Jazz, I—"

"It's important, isn't it? Something to do with why water is dripping over by the sink?" she asked, pointing to the spot at Phantom's feet. Phantom looked down and bit his lip. His dunk into the water had gotten his hair wet and it was dripping off of him, becoming visible as it hit the floor. There were already many wet spots on the tiles at his feet and the number was steadily increasing.

That was one observant sister.

Danny's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Jazz, remember—"

_Danny, _no_! _Phantom cried inside his mind, sensing his honesty in his body language. _Don't tell her!_

Danny's mouth shut tight and his eyes widened a little. "_What?"_ Phantom heard him ask…except Danny's mouth didn't move.(1)

_…Did he hear me? _Danny didn't react to that thought. _I guess not._

Jazz began to tap her foot impatiently. "Well?"

Danny shook his head. "Sorry, Jazz. I zoned out. What was the question?"

Jazz frowned. Guessing what she was planning on doing, Phantom turned himself and the floor beneath him intangible for a second, all the accumulated water sinking to the next level. Just in time, too. Jazz pointed to the once wet spot again. "Why is _air_ dripping water?" she demanded.

Danny glanced over at the solid and dry floor and smirked. "I don't know what you're talking about. It's completely dry over there." He frowned at her in false concern. "You alright, Jazz? I think you're seeing things."

Jazz gaped at the area. Danny and Phantom had trouble keeping from laughing at her face. As it was, Phantom had to smother his with a hand over his mouth. "What? But-but how?"

"Jazz," Danny said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. His mouth twitched with the effort of not smiling. "I think you need to get more sleep."

Jazz blinked dazedly at the invisible Phantom. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she shook her head. "Uh, no, I got to use the bathroom." (2)

"Oh. Right," Danny said, shrugging. He walked past her but stopped when he was next to Phantom. "Don't be too long, though," he told her, using it as a distraction so he could grab Phantom's arm. "I'm not done in here yet." With that, he pulled Phantom out of the bathroom and shut the door behind him. He didn't stop walking until they were in his room again.

From there, they proceeded to fall to the floor and laugh up a (quiet) storm.

"Did you see her _face_?" Phantom asked, holding his stomach as he tried to make the pain his laughing had caused go away. Of course, it's a little difficult to do that when you're still doing the laughing.

"Haha, Yeah!" Danny breathed out, also holding his stomach. "She looked like a fish!"

They continued laughing for a while longer before they had to stop from the lack of oxygen.

Danny wiped tears from his eyes and rolled over onto his stomach so he could stand up. Phantom was a little surprised to find his own eyes leaking water, but didn't comment on it and instead floated off the floor. They looked at each other for a moment before chuckling.

"That was a close call, huh?" Danny commented when they finished.

Phantom nodded and looked intently at him.

Danny shifted uncomfortably and looked down at his feet. "I, um…I'm sorry I almost told her about you."

Phantom continued to look at him for a while longer before sighing. "It's alright. You didn't, so I guess that's all that matters."

Danny shrugged sheepishly. "Yeah, but I almost did. It's just that, I usually don't keep secrets from her."

Phantom felt jealousy bubble up again and quickly suppressed it. It wasn't right for him to want Danny to be lonely like him. "Yeah…I gathered that."

Danny gave him a crooked smile. "It's almost like she can see right through me sometimes."

Phantom nodded absently and pulled his legs up so he was sitting Indian style. "I had that with my mentor. Of course, he could see through time, so that doesn't really count…"

Awkward silence.

_I suppose I shouldn't have told him that, _Phantom thought. He rubbed his neck awkwardly and smiled when Danny did the same. "Um…How long will she be in there?" he asked to break the silence.

Danny shrugged. "Dunno. She's a girl. Girls take longer to…you know." (AN-My little brother says this to me all the time. Frickin' annoying!)

"…To go pee?"

"I was avoiding saying it for a reason, you know."

Phantom smiled. "Why? Weird to say it when it involves a girl?"

"…Yeah. Especially when it's my sister."

Phantom chuckled. "You're kinda innocent, you know that?"

"So I've been told repeatedly," Danny replied with a sour look.

Phantom shook his head. "Same here. They use it as a compliment, too. It just comes off as an insult if you ask me."

Danny nodded and stared absently at the door as they stopped talking again.

_Awkward silence _again_, _Phantom thought in aggravation. _Why can't I just carry on a normal conversation with him?_

He blew his bangs up out of his eyes. He looked at Danny in consideration. _Back in the bathroom…he acted like he heard my thoughts. But…I'm thinking again and I he's not hearing any of it. Was it just a coincidence? _He took in a deep breath. _One way to find out, I guess. Here we go…Danny?_

Danny frowned but otherwise didn't react.

_Danny?_ he called a little louder in his mind. Danny's eyes narrowed and he shook his head. _Hey. If you can hear me, Danny, do something besides shake your head, will ya?_

Danny blinked. "Huh?"

Phantom was about to ask him about it, but he had to turn invisible instead when Danny's door all of a sudden busted down. Their parents jumped through the doorway, brandishing ecto-bazookas. Phantom groaned quietly and hid behind Danny's back to be on the safe side. He hadn't liked his last encounter with his parents and he still had yet to decide what to make of them.

"Danny, get down," their mom said in a calm but alert voice, "there's a ghost on the loose."

Danny almost looked over his shoulder, but stopped at the last second. "Uh, how do you know that?"

"We just got cold water dumped on us," Jack said miserably, scanning the room with his eyes. He shivered. "_Cold_ water. When I find the ghost that did it, I'm going to rip it apart molecule by molecule!"

Phantom choked a little and sunk back further behind Danny.

* * *

Danny heard Phantom choke and felt him shift a little bit more behind him. He would have given him a sympathetic look if it weren't so dangerous. He wouldn't like hearing people say that about him, let alone two people who he thought were his parents. All he could do for him was stand as a shield between them, though.

"Shh, Jack," Maddie advised, setting her bazooka gun thing down. "We don't want to alert it to our presence." She pulled out the ghost detector/scanner thing that I can't remember the name of, and turned it on.

The ghost behind Danny stiffened. "What does that do?" he whispered quietly in fear.

"Fenton Ghost Finder," Danny whispered back, watching nervously as the machine came to life. "It tracks down ghosts. I thought it still had some glitches."

"_There is a ghost five feet away,"_ a mechanical female voice emitted from the blinking machine. Jack and Maddie eagerly began walking forward. Danny and Phantom back up fearfully and only stopped when Phantom ran into the wall and Danny into him. Phantom made an oof sound and turned intangible so Danny fell through him and into the wall. They shivered as they shared the same space. (3) Their parents loomed over them, looking at the blinking machine breathlessly. _"Ghost directly ahead. You would have to be some sort of moron to not notice the ghost directly ahead."_ The two looked up at Danny. Danny smiled back innocently at them.

There was a tense silence before Jack scoffed and looked at Maddie. "That can't be right."

"Danny!" Phantom hissed. "You're invisible!"

Danny gasped and looked down quickly. Sure enough his body was missing. Just before he started to panic, it reappeared. He let out a relieved sigh and looked up at his parents who were frowning in confusion at each other. "Uh, maybe it still has some glitches," he suggested.

"That ghost must have messed with it before splashing us with water," Jack concluded, his eyes narrowing.

"Maybe later," Phantom muttered darkly.

"Be quiet!" Danny shushed.

"What was that?" Maddie asked him. "Did you say something, Sweetie?"

"Uh…yeah. I said maybe the ghost already left. You know, it was so afraid after you two woke up in a very bad mood and all. What ghost would stand up to two very angry world renowned ghost experts?"

The pair beamed at their son and stood a little straighter.

"Flattery will get you everywhere," Phantom commented.

_What is wrong with him, _Danny wondered angrily. _He needs to shut up. They could hear him and then they'd kill him!_

"Danny," Jazz called from outside the room. "I'm done with the bathroom." She walked into the doorway and frowned when she saw their parents. "Mom? Dad? What are you doing up?"

Maddie sighed. "Your father got woken up by some icy water."

Jack hefted his bazooka. "Yeah! It was a ghost! Have you seen any spectral activity, Jazzypants?"

Jazz suddenly looked as if a very hard puzzle had been solved and began to smile triumphantly at Danny. She stopped, though, when she saw his near panicked expression. She looked back at their parents and shook her head. "Nope. I have not seen anything relating to ghosts this morning." She glanced at Danny. "But, Danny did fill the sink up with some cold water. We must have a leak or something. The bathroom's right above your room, after all."

"Hmm. You're right," Maddie said thoughtfully. "We'll have to look into it later today."

"Ah," Jack moaned. "But I wanted to catch a ghost."

Maddie smiled and patted his arm affectionately. "It's alright, dear. We'll hunt later."

Jack brightened a little but still looked a little down.

Maddie leaned down and hugged Danny—and Phantom coincidentily. "I'm sorry about earlier, Sweetie," she whispered. "I just lost my temper."

Danny, in a rare moment, hugged her back. "It's alright, Mom. I understand."

Maddie kissed his forehead and stood back up. She walked out the door, giving Jazz a hug on the way out too. Jack ruffled Danny's hair before following her. "Good night, kids," Maddie called from down the hall.

"Yeah, and wake me if you see a ghost!" Jack yelled.

Danny shifted uncomfortably and stepped outside of Phantom. He raised an eyebrow at Jazz who was still standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. "What?"

Jazz looked down the hall to make sure their parents were out of sight before stepping into the room and shutting the door behind her. "What were you doing in the bathroom?"

Danny shrugged. "Just washing my face."

"With cold water?"

"Yup. Wash with hot then wash with cold and no more pimples," Danny said with an innocent smile.(4)

Jazz gave him a suspicious look. "There was a ghost in the bathroom, wasn't there?"

"What?!" Danny scoffed. "No! What would give you that idea? There was no ghost whatsoever. None at all.

Jazz rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. Is it friendly?"

"Is what friendly?"

"The ghost."

"Jazz, there's no—"

"Don't bother, Danny," Jazz said, holding up her hand. "I just want to know that you're in no danger from it."

Danny bit his lip and shifted a little. "I'm in no danger, Jazz," he said finally.

"No lying?"

"No lying."

"Good." Jazz turned around and opened the door. She put her hand on the door frame and looked over her shoulder. "And go to bed, Danny. It's unhealthy for you to stay up so late." She smiled. "Good night, little brother." She left and shut the door behind her.

Danny's shoulders slumped and he sighed in relief. "That was a close call," he said to Phantom who hadn't moved. He looked over at him and saw he'd become visible, but was looking at his hands instead of at Danny. Danny frowned. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Phantom looked up. "Uh, yeah. I'm just fine." He looked down at his stomach. "I think," he muttered quietly.

"Good." Danny stretched. "We'll have to put off what we were doing until tomorrow," he told him. "I think it's too dangerous to continue now."

Phantom nodded. "No kidding."

Danny covered a hand over his mouth as he yawned. Adrenaline was wearing thin. "You didn't make it much better, though. Why'd you keep talking? They could have heard you."

Phantom cocked his head to the side and smiled mysteriously. "I'll tell you tomorrow. You're too tired right now." His eyes began to droop a little and he yawned too. He frowned. "Huh. I actually feel tired."

"We'll have to write that down later," Danny muttered, climbing into his bed. "There's a sleeping bag and pillow inside my closet if you want to use it."

Phantom nodded and flew through Danny's closet. Danny's eyes shut, a slight smile on his face as Phantom laid out the sleeping bag next to his bed. He was soon fast asleep.

The smile didn't last though.

"Danny."

Danny groaned and turned away from the voice.

"Danny! Wake up."

Danny's eyelids were pulled open and he blearily saw two glowing green lights staring intently at him. He tried to blink his eyes and the force holding his lids open let them close again. He sighed and snuggled closer to his pillow, already falling back asleep.

"Oh for crying out loud!"

All of a sudden there was a _great_ deal of green light. It intruded through his eyelids more effectively than the sun ever could. He yelped, sitting straight up and rubbing futilely at his eyes, trying to revive his retinas.

"Good. You're up."

Danny blinked his eyes open and squinted at the figure before him. There would have been light enough to see by since his lamp was on, but he was temporarily blinded at the moment. It took him a while to see the glow, cape, green eyes, and white/black hair that identified the specter.

"What?" Danny demanded, only half awake. "It hasn't even been a whole hour."

"Yeah, well, I have a problem," Phantom said, shifting uncomfortably in mid air. "…And it's your fault so you have to help me."

"Yeah?" Danny asked, yawning, not remembering what it could have been that he'd done. "What kinda problem?"

"I have to go," the ghost answered in embarrassment.

"Go? Go where?"

"Not where-go, Danny. Go-go." Danny just blinked sleepily at him. The ghost sighed. His cheeks getting redder. "As in I need to…um, empty the tank…you know. What you planned to happen after making me drink all that water."

It took Danny a moment to realize what he meant. When he did, he laughed loudly at the ghost's disgusted and embarrassed expression. It was about time.

The ghost scowled at him, still looking very uncomfortable. "Keep it up, Danny, and I might just take advantage of gravity right here and now."

Danny gulped and was out of his bed and dragging his ghost down the hall before you could say "ghost." Once he reached the bathroom door, he turned on the light and pushed the ghost in.

"See that?" he asked, pointing to the toilet. Phantom nodded. "You 'go' in there."

"Uh…"

"Just aim and do what comes naturally," he instructed. "When you're done, flush it…Pull the silver lever down. I'm going back to bed."

"But—"

Danny slammed his door shut and collapsed on his bed. He sighed and promptly fell back asleep.

Only to be woken up two minutes late.

He glared at Phantom in annoyance. "What?" he growled.

Phantom flinched. "Well, this was my first time and all, so…"

Danny jerked up. "You didn't."

The ghost blushed, but tried to scowl. "You know, you'll make one horrible father one day. 'Just do what comes naturally.' Honestly. What kind of instruction is that? And this _is_ all your fault. You shouldn't have made me drink the water. You shouldn've known it'd have to come out."

"What fourteen-year old _misses_?" Danny retorted, getting up and heading quickly to the bathroom.

"A dead one who shouldn't have had to go in the first place, let alone one who hasn't ever done so before," he grumbled.

"Dude, I am _not_ going to poddy-train you." They reached the bathroom and he groaned. "And you're practicing outside from now on," he added.

* * *

**I won't write Phantom peeing his pants, but missing is alright ;)**

**(1) Well, I'm sure you've all figured out their souls are connected and that's why Phantom's stronger. There has to be some sort of consequence for that. Just because it's used a lot, doesn't mean I can't use it :P It's fun.  
(2) Jazz no likie being wrong. She'd forget about why Danny was up temporarily, right?  
(3) Yeah, maybe that'd lead to overshadowing. Maybe. But I'm pretty sure a ghost could control themselves from not doing that.  
(4) 'Tis true :) **

**Took a long time to come, but it was good, right? :) I liked it. Give ya a break from them trying to kill each other. Too much of something's not always a good thing.**

**Next chapter I plan to bring Sam in. Bet that's exciting, huh? I'm not a very big fan of hers, but I know she's very important and she will be playing a big role in this story. I'm not about to write her off just 'cause she's not one of my favorites...'Cause I still like her. She reminds me of my old friend.**


	11. Morning

**Hey people! Next chapter time and I'm only one night off ;)**

**To the reviewers:  
Kiomori: **Yup. They weren't that loud...;) Yeah, hearing each other thoughts could be helpful, but I'm sure it's going to be annoying first ;)  
**Thunderstorm101:** Yeah. Jazz will try to find things out. I'm looking forward to that and kind of scared. I'm going to be battling with her in a way :P  
**DPcrazy: **Ah gravity. I love picking on it ;) Jazz meeting Phantom will be maybe five chapters away. Maybe. I have it planned out, but like this chapter, things don't always go as planned. I can't wait. She's one of my favorites. And don't say that! You'll make me feel guilty ;)  
**comando: **Thanks and here it is :)  
**Mystfit: **Thanks :) Hope you like how it continues.  
**DP-shrine-in-closet-girl: **Thanks! I'm sorry it's still a little confusing. _I_ still get confused sometimes too :P It'll get easier. I'm glad you like how they all come out :D Tucker won't be in-in for a while yet, but he will make appearances via the internet. Sam...is here, but I don't think I did her too well. Her character is just so hard to get X( Let me know. Thanks for the review :D  
**Hawky Phantom: **There you are! Glad you liked those chapters so much :D I had a lot of fun typing them (the part where I had the writer's block not included though :P)  
**Thank you all _so_ much for your reviews! They really help me with my day :D**

**Yup. Another "delay." I couldn't help it. One thing just led to another! Sam's still in here though. I'm not sure how well I did her. She's supposed to be a goth, but she doesn't seem like a goth all the time so I kept getting confused :( Stupid girl. Pick an emotion and stick with it ;P**

**Also, from last chapter, I don't know if any of you noticed it, but my favorite part was when Maddie hugged Danny and Phantom good night. Phantom got a little love and when she spoke to Danny it was like she was speaking to Phantom too...or at least, Phantom could see it that way :)**

**But back onto to this chap. Here it is! Not as fun as the last ones, but still. You get Sam ooc or not. And a little warning, POVs change often at first. Just letting you know.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom. Never have, never will, never thought about it really ;)**

* * *

Chapter 9  
Morning

When Danny opened his eyes, he found himself staring at his bed's underside. He blinked at the metal bars a couple of times before mentally shrugging and turning onto his side, intending to fall back asleep, on top of his bed or not. But two upside down and brightly glowing green eyes were staring at him intently. He yelped and sat up, forgetting he was under his bed. He groaned and fell back to the floor.

"You're up!" Phantom crowed. His head disappeared. Danny realized he was on top of his bed and had just been hanging upside down to see him.

Danny sighed, rubbing his head a little, before he crawled out from under the bed. When he was out, he looked over his shoulder at Phantom. "Did you push me off my bed or turn me intangible so I'd fall through it?" he asked him.

Phantom frowned, looking a little offended. "No. That was all you."

Danny grimaced and climbed onto his bed. He flopped down next to Phantom and closed his eyes.

Phantom had other ideas.

"Hey. Danny." Danny's eyelids were forced open. He stared at the ghost. "It's time to get up."

Danny slapped his hand away and let his eyes shut again. "What time is it?" he mumbled.

There was a pause and he heard Phantom tap his alarm clock. "Uh, eight thirty, I think."

Danny pulled himself over to his pillow and threw his head into it. "Eight thirty is too early to get up, Phantom," he told him through the pillow.

"But…everyone else is up," Phantom said, not moving from his bed.

"So? They weren't up as late or had as much excitement as me."

"No. But they _are_ older than you. Aren't younger people supposed to bounce back better than their elders?"

Danny rolled his eyes behind his eyelids. "Yes, but—"

"Then get up! I'm bored as hell here!" Phantom yelled, bouncing a little on the bed.

Danny grunted and turned onto his back. He got onto his elbows and glared at the ghost. "I'm _tired_, Phantom. I need more sleep."

"No," Phantom denied, crossing his arms. "You're just being lazy. You could get up now if you had to."

Danny closed his eyes and fell back down. "But I _don't_ have to. It's a Saturday. It's sleep in day."

"But what about me?"

"Go back to sleep," Danny suggested, already doing so.

* * *

Phantom huffed as Danny began to snore again. He considered shaking him awake, but decided against it. He wasn't afraid of Danny, but he still didn't much like the thought of waking him up to a bad mood. He had to put up with his ideas all day today, after all.

Phantom floated off the bed and looked around for something to do again. He'd already inspected every inch of Danny's room and _some_ of downstairs. The awakening of his parents had convinced him to flee back to Danny's room. From there, he'd put away the sleeping bag and tried to get the TV to work right. He'd failed, by the way.

Danny falling through his bed had been the highlight of his first morning in the human world, which was kind of sad when you stopped to think about it.

Phantom sighed and floated over to Danny's window. He pulled the blinds open and stared sadly at the overcast sky. Figures he wouldn't get to see the sun, either. His gaze lowered to the city below and he felt a small smile come to his face.

Danny's room didn't have a great view of it, but it wasn't terrible, either. Phantom could just see over the house across the street to some houses behind it. One was a building with a billboard on it. It had a picture of a happy couple hugging each other and white letters proclaiming: "Amity Park. A nice place to live." The top right corner had been blasted away.

He'd have to explore more of the city. Maybe then he could better understand the ghosts' obsession over it.

He looked over his shoulder at Danny. His human half was still sleeping soundly and would probably be doing so for the next four hours. Phantom didn't feel tired at all and hadn't since he'd woken up. Apparently, he only needed five hours of sleep.

He turned back to the window. "Why should I stay inside?" he asked himself, smiling in excitement. "He's not the boss of me. If I want to leave for a few minutes, so what? I'll come back." His smile widened, and, turning himself intangible, he jumped out the window.

He breathed in the sweet fresh air and sighed contentedly. Smelling was a good side effect of the change, too.

He turned himself invisible and took off in a random direction.

* * *

Sam sat down under the tree with a sigh of relief. She, in a rare moment of ungothness, smiled as she looked around. She loved nature, and right now, that's all there was. It wasn't everyday that she was able to find a tranquil part in the park, away from the stress of society and too cheerful people. Cheerful people were annoying. They always tried to make you just as cheerful when you really just felt like being your own person, which, in Sam's case, wasn't cheerful. And, if they couldn't make you all happy and estatic, they'd lose their own and become mopy then you'd feel guilty for bringing them down. Yup. Cheerful people were best to be avoided.

Danny excluded, of course. He was the exception. It was alright for him to cheer her up. He knew the right way to do it.

She chewed on her bottom a lip a little and pulled out her book to get her mind off of him. It wasn't right for her to have feelings like that for her best friend. Sure he was a distant best friend, but the "rule" still applied. Besides, it wasn't like he would ever feel the same. He was too busy thinking about Paulina and Valerie to notice his best friend who didn't dress pretty and didn't care what she looked like.

Sam sighed. She shook her head and focused back on the book.

The book was one he'd begged her to take off his hands. It was a book on ghost theories that his dad had given him. Danny hadn't been all that thrilled about it. He just wasn't into that stuff. But he knew if he kept it in the house, his dad would ask him if he'd ever read it. Danny wasn't the kind of person who could disappoint someone with a clear conscious, so he did the only thing he could think of to make sure his dad never asked.

Which was to give it to his research loving friend.

Sam rolled her eyes and turned to the page she'd marked. The page discussed a ghost's emotional plane. Honestly? She didn't like the book all that much; it clumped all the ghosts together in one neat summarization. It spoke of them as if they were all just one "living" thing instead of the unique individuals that they were. They couldn't all be focused on world domination, right? Some had to be harmless spirits that just didn't want to let go of their old life.

Still, she read it. Know thy enemy, and all that. This enemy being incompetent, biased, unrealistic, no-good scientists. The only thing they had to go on were captured ghosts they had experimented on. Of course those ghosts would be bent on revenge and mass distruction. Sam would be too.

She pursed her lips. _Maybe I should start a campaign against ghost cruelty, _she thought. _…Then again, with the way ghosts behave here, I don't think I'll have much success. _She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. _If only there was _one_ good ghost to give the town an example. _She snorted. _How likely is that, though?_

_Maybe I could ask Danny about it. I'm sure he'd know…I'll have to wait a few hours, though._

Danny wasn't a morning person sometimes. For that matter, neither was Sam. But her parents had woken her up and it was either run for the park since she couldn't escape to school, or be badgered until she wore a pink dress. As if she'd ever chose the second option.

She was unwillingly becoming a morning person with each passing weekend.

A flock of birds suddenly erupted from the trees not too far away from hers, screeching and cawing as they fearfully flew away.

Sam snapped her book shut and stood up. Birds only did that when they were startled from a peaceful rest. That meant someone must have scared those innocent creatures for the heck of it. When she got her hands on them, oh they'd wish they'd never stepped a foot outside!

* * *

Phantom settled down in the tree the birds had vacated once they sensed his arrival. He would have apologized, but he had a feeling living animals didn't give a hoot about the human language. Besides, he wasn't feeling too happy with them. They'd left the tree with a lot of poop stains. And this was his first tree too!

Still, he smiled up at the canopy and at the trunk. Yeah, in the past, he used to find the trees pretty weird, but now that he understood how they worked and what they did for the living, he found them pretty cool. Especially since he was now relying on what they were giving off.

He ran a hand over the rough bark and cocked his head to the side. He brought his face closer and watched as little black dots moved along the bark. It took him a while, but he eventually came to the conclusion that they were ants. Teeny-tiny, little things that packed a punch when they had their colony behind them. He drew his hand back and gave them a warning look. He had no intention of being swarmed by things no bigger than…well, he wasn't sure any part of him was that small.

He reached up and pulled off a leaf from the above mini branch. He inspected the green thing with interest. It was cone shaped and barely a millimeter thick. Leaves were how the trees and other plants made their lunch. It was also what some of the living ate. He frowned and brought it to his mouth. He spat it out at once, though. Bitter. Who would want to eat something like _that_?

Phantom jumped down, letting gravity control the fall so he had to crouch when he landed. He didn't get back up but studied the tree's roots instead. They were how plants drew in moisture and nutrients and kept themselves stable. He knocked a knuckle against one. It created a funny sound, but it was the same as what the rest of the tree made.

"Hey!"

Phantom spun around, pulling up his hood immediately to hide his hair. A lifelong instinct was hard to get rid of.

A female human child about Phantom's and Danny's age was advancing towards Phantom in a very angry way. She had shoulder length black hair with half of it pulled back into a high ponytail. Her eyes—which had an angered glint in them at the moment—were a light violet color. Lilac, maybe. She wore a short black shirt that stopped above her naval and had a purple violet circle in the middle; much like the red circle in the middle of Danny's favorite white shirt. Instead of pants, she wore a short black skirt that had neon green crisscrosses. Under the skirt, she had purple tights on. Completing the ensemble was big combat boots. All the black clothes and hair contrasted greatly with her pale skin, making her look rather ghostly.

The dark glare she was throwing his way wasn't helping to negate that either.

Phantom gulped and took a step back, bumping into the tree at his back. He'd seen less scary ghosts in the Zone, frankly.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she demanded of him as she continued her angry stalk towards him.

Phantom licked his lips nervously. She was getting closer…_Oh you're ridiculous, Phantom! You're afraid of a little girl!_ Five feet away and no sign of stopping. _Yeah, a girl who could give Skulker a run for his money in glares!_

Finally she stopped, but she was only a foot away when she did. She crossed her arms—Phantom absently noted that she hugged a book to her chest as she did—and continued to glare at him. "Well? Why'd you frighten off the birds, huh?"

Phantom blinked, a little dumbfounded.

"For the heck of it, right?"

He just stared at her.

"And don't go thinking that just because you're a fellow Goth that you can go hating _all_ life forms."

"Uh…"

"Those birds were innocently minding their own business when you suddenly decided to disturb their peace by throwing rocks at them most likely."

"…I didn't throw rocks at them," Phantom managed to say meekly. _What?! Get a grip, Phantom!_

"Does it matter how you scared them?!" she demanded, waving her arms a little above her head. "You still did and they didn't deserve it!" Phantom flinched back as she pointed her index finger an inch from his face, making his head hit the tree. "What did they ever do to you to make you disturb their peaceful morning, huh?"

_Hey, _you're_ disturbing _my_ peaceful morning too, girl,_ he thought unhappily as she waited for his reply. He was going to say that too, but his body had a mind of its own. "They…um, pooped on the tree?" The girl's glare intensified. _Stupid mouth. Do what I tell ya to do, will ya?! We're in just as much trouble. And pooping in the tree? What kind of lame excuse is that?!_

"And you have to breathe," she retorted, hands now on hips. "But I don't go throwing rocks at you because I'm unhappy with it do I?"

_No. Words and glares are your weapons. _"…I told you I didn't throw rocks."

"I don't care _what_ you did to scare them! You still did!"

"Well, yeah, but not on purpose!" Phantom finally managed to defend, being fed up with being yelled at. "They just freaked out when I came!"

The girl blinked, losing her glare. "They did?"

Phantom sourly crossed his arms. "Yes. They _did_."

"Oh." She looked a little sheepish. Phantom inwardly smiled at that. He'd put the intimidating girl in her place! "Well, I'm, uh, sorry for yelling at you then," she apologized slowly. She tilted her head to the side. "…But these birds don't get scared so easily. People are in the park all the time so their used to people coming by. Why would you scare them?"

Phantom shrugged, but he knew. _I came from above and I'm a ghost. Any animal in their right mind would run away…girls with an obsession over black not included._

The girl continued to frown at him. She leaned in closer suddenly. "Are your eyes…glowing?"

Phantom raised an eyebrow. She didn't know he was a ghost? He wondered how brave she'd be if she knew. Probably just as brave. "It's…possible, yeah."

"But that would mean…You're a ghost!" she stated, her eyes widening.

He bit his lip. "Ah, yeah." Phantom's stomach chose that moment to be a pain. Literally.

The girl's mouth dropped. "Did your stomach just…growl?"

Phantom felt his cheeks growing hot. Very uncomfortable. "Uh…no?"

"But I heard it."

"No…that, uh, must have been a truck or something. Ghosts don't get hungry."

The girl shook her head, still staring at him in amazement. "What are you?"

It was then that Phantom felt Danny wake up. He smiled suddenly. "Two of a kind," he said cheerfully. Then before she could react to that, he jumped into the air and tried to fly for Fenton Works.

His life was never that simple, though.

"Wait!" The girl jumped up and grabbed onto his arm. He had one second to wince from the vice grip before the added weight and sudden pulling gave gravity a purchase on him. It was all he could do to just land clumsily on the ground instead off face planting it. He looked down at the girl's hand then back at her face.

She removed her hand but didn't apologize, though she looked a little embarrassed. "You could help me."

He raised an eyebrow that she couldn't see. "Huh?"

"In my campaign against ghost cruelty," she elaborated, her eyes shining.

"…And why would I do that?"

She frowned at him. "You like your kind being used as lab rats and being biased against?"

"…Well, no, but—"

"Or being shot at just for existing and wanting to fly around?"

"No, but—"

"Or people running away screaming from you?"

"…Okay, what's your point?"

"If you don't like how things are," she began, "then why don't you help me change them?"

Phantom looked at her for a moment, a little stunned. The human…actually cared? Well there were all kinds of ghosts. There must be all kinds of humans too. Still… He shook his head. "I can't. I'm trying to keep a low profile."

The girl crossed her arms, looking intimidating again as she frowned. "Why's that?"

Phantom licked his lips. "It's kind of difficult…and I'm not going to explain it to a complete stranger."

The girl looked down, looking disappointed. She looked back up at him under her bangs and her eyes were wide and pleading. Oh crap! (1)

_That's not fair! _He protested in his head. _She can't do that! Go back to being the scary girl!_ He looked away quickly, but was drawn back to the puppy face. So unfair. He sighed. "Alright. I'll give it some thought."

She smiled a smug, triumphant smile. Phantom could just see fangs sprouting and horns growing out of her head. He shivered a little. Darn girl knew how to manipulate. "I knew you'd see it my why."

Phantom groaned and crossed his arms sullenly. "Whatever." He tilted his head to the side. "Why'd you ask me to help anyway?"

The girl shrugged. "You didn't attack me." Phantom rolled his eyes. "That doesn't happen much in Amity," she continued, looking at him emotionlessly. That was a switch. "I knew there had to be some ghosts who weren't bent on world domination." Phantom nodded, looking intrigued. "And I was thinking earlier about proving that to everyone, but I'd need a ghost to give them an example first."

"Oh, well—" Phantom's stomach growled again. He hugged it. "I'll see you later, girl. I gotta get going."He gathered himself and flew off quickly before she could utter a word. He looked back over his shoulder and saw her crossing her arms and glaring at him. He sped up his pace, hoping to get back to Danny's room before his stomach complained more.

When he left the park behind, he looked back over his shoulder again and frowned. That was one…very unique human. One to be avoided, too.

* * *

"Danny, wake up!" a voice called sweetly.

Danny grumbled and pulled his pillow over his head. "No. Danny sleep."

A weight suddenly jumped onto his bed and yanked his pillow away. Danny gasped and sat up. Jazz smiled at him. "Morning, little bro." Danny groaned and sank back to his bed. Jazz caught him before he could, though. "Oh no you don't. It's time to get up." Danny stared at her. "C'mon." No reaction. "I made _French toast_."

Danny's eyes snapped into wakefulness and he began shoving Jazz off his bed and out the door. "Well why didn't you say so in the first place?" he demanded.

She laughed. "I wanted to see if I could get you up without saying anything." When they exited the room, she stopped and pushed him back in. "You have to change first, Danny."

He pouted. "But Dad'll eat most of them before I get down there if I do."

"Then you want to get dressed quickly, huh?" she advised with a smile. She waved and went down the hall.

Danny huffed. He raced back into his room and quickly grabbed his usual clothes from his closet. The clothes were a white shirt with a red oval in the center and some baggy blue jeans. He liked things simple.

Just as he pulled his shirt over his head, he got the homecoming feeling that he associated with Phantom. He frowned, realizing he hadn't sensed it before…so Phantom had left for a bit.

"You're _finally_ up!" Phantom crowed when he flew through the window. He landed clumsily on the floor and pulled off his hood. He smiled brightly at Danny. "I thought for sure you wouldn't get up until noon or something…that's in three hours, right?"

"Just about," Danny replied. He smoothed his shirt before raising an eyebrow at the ghost. "Did you leave?"

Phantom rubbed his neck, looking a little defensive and guilty at the same time. "Yeah. I was bored and you wouldn't get up. I just thought I'd explore the city a little."

"Oh." Danny sat down on his bed and pulled on his red and white shoes. "What did you think of it?"

Phantom shrugged. "I went to the park." For some reason, he shivered.

Danny raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Well, I 'met' someone while I was there," he said. "She was kinda scary."

Danny smiled. "Afraid of a _girl_, Phantom?"

Phantom stuck his tongue out at him. "You would be too!"

Danny shrugged. He got off his bed and walked over to his door. When he reached it, he frowned. "My sister made some French toast. Are you hungry?"

Phantom's stomach growled. "I do believe I am. But how'll I get food? Our parents are down there."

"Not _our_ parents, _my_ parents," Danny corrected. He licked his lips and looked down at the floor thoughtfully. "I could, um…no." He bit his bottom lip and leaned against the wall.

"If I'm to stay here," Phantom said carefully, "we'll need to figure out a way to get me food."

Danny tilted his head to the side. "So, you _are_ going to stay here?"

Phantom scuffed a boot on the floor. "Well…uh…"

"'Cause I don't have a problem with it…if you want to."

Phantom looked up at him again and smiled. "Maybe for a little while. I can't stay forever, what with this being ghost hunter central and all, though."

Danny shrugged. "Eh, we could make it work…but back to our original problem."

"I suppose I can just grab something from the cupboards and you can blame it on mice or something," Phantom suggested. He giggled suddenly. "Ghost rats."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Do I wanna know?"

"No," Phantom said, smiling at a memory. "Not really."

Danny shook his head. "Well, I guess we could do that, but I feel kind of guilty. I mean, you're living here, but you don't get the food we get?" Phantom shrugged. They stood in thought for a bit longer before Danny snapped his fingers together. "Ah, I got it! I can wrap up some French toast and put it in the fridge then you can go intangible and take it!"

Phantom blinked. "There's nothing wrong with putting food in the fridge? Someone won't notice when it doesn't come back out?"

Danny frowned before shaking his head. "No. Not if I say I'm saving it for later. If you wait a long time before taking it, then my dad might take it. But you'll get it right after or soon after I put it in so he won't get the chance."

"Won't they notice that you didn't eat it later, but it's no longer there?"

"No. Jazz _might_, but she'll probably think Dad ate it or something."

"Oh. But they'll get suspicious if you do it often, right?"

"Depends. How often do you think you need to eat?"

Phantom shrugged. "Dunno. I just ate a sandwich last night and yet I'm hungry right now."

"Yeah, but that was your first meal and you don't have any reserves."

Phantom looked down at his flat stomach. "Yeah, that's true."

Danny nodded. "Besides, I can switch things up later. I take pizza up here a lot, so there's that."

"So we got a plan?"

"We got a plan," Danny agreed with a smile. "…Do you think you can hold out till I finish my breakfast? They'd think it was weird if I tried to save some from the get-go."

Phantom's stomach growled again, but he nodded. "Don't listen to it. I'll survive. Just don't take too long."

"K. Will you be in the kitchen?"

Phantom tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. "Yeah. I think I will. The hunters won't have any inventions there, will they?"

Danny bit his lip. "Well, that's where they work on them sometimes," he admitted shifting a little. "And they sometimes test 'em there too."

Phantom stiffened.

"…But you'll be fine."

"You sure?"

Danny looked at him seriously for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. If worse comes to worse, we can do what we did before with the ghost finder."

Phantom looked a little relieved. "Good. Lead the way then, mortal being," he said, bowing mockingly before turning invisible.

Danny grinned and ran out the door. He sensed Phantom floating right behind him and decided to pick up the pace. He was practically racing the ghost by the time he made it to the stairs. They'd give Phantom an advantage, so he didn't slow his pace. He recklessly took three at a time until he made it halfway down. From there, he jumped over the rail. He landed lightly on his feet.

Only then did he stop.

Phantom floated up slowly beside him, remaining invisible. "Like I said," he said slowly, "I'm not a genius at this stuff, but shouldn't a clumsy, athletically challenged pipsqueak such as yourself be able to do that?"

Danny frowned a little at the insult, but shook his head wordlessly.

"Huh. Your instincts must have kicked in and controlled your center of gravity when you fell," Phantom speculated.

"You mean like how you learned to—" Phantom's stomach growled.

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean," he interrupted. "No hurry up and get me some food!"

Danny playfully stuck his tongue out at him before jogging into the kitchen. The sight of Jack eating almost half the French toast greeted him upon entering.

"Hey! Leave me some, Dad!" he cried, rushing into his seat and placing five on his plate.

"Morning sweetie," his mom greeted cheerfully, momentarily stopping in messing with an invention.

"Morn'," Danny replied absently, pouring syrup all over his toast. He picked a whole one up with his fork and took a gigantic bite out of it.

"Honestly," Maddie bemoaned, though she had a smile on. "You and your father."

"That's my boy!" Jack crowed, raising his fork in a kind of salute before driving it down into three toasts and scooping them into his mouth.

Danny blinked, blushed, and ate a little slower.

He sensed Phantom floating right behind him and was a little uncomfortable with it at first. Who'd like someone standing over you as you ate? But as he continued eating, he stopped thinking about it. He would do the same thing in Phantom's shoes. It was either keep Danny between him and his parents or sit in the only unoccupied seat left which just so happened to be next to his mom. No brainer really.

Someone tousled his hair and he looked up and over his shoulder with the fork still in his mouth. He raised an eyebrow at his sister. Jazz smiled down at him. "Hey, Danny."

He inclined his head a little instead of replying.

She leaned in closer when their parents turned away so he'd be the only one to hear. "So how's the whole ghost situation going?"

Danny's eyes widened and he started to choke. He pounded on his chest a bit and swallowed forcefully. "Fine," he answered hoarsely, ignoring his parents' suddenly concerned looks.

Jazz nodded and walked away. It was too dangerous for her to press him about it with their parents watching them like that, for which he was rather grateful. Given the chance, she could make him spill about anything. Oh, she'd skirt about it a bit at first, but she'd still get her answers eventually.

Danny let out a quiet and relieved sigh when his family returned to their usual routine.

"Danny?" Phantom whispered.

Danny almost started choking again.

"Why's everyone so quiet?" Phantom continued. "I thought families talked at the table."

Danny took a big drink of water and didn't answer him.

"Danny?"

Danny continued to ignore him, deciding to focus on his French toast.

"Danny?" Phantom tried again, his voice rising.

Danny glanced up at his parents fearfully. They didn't seem to have heard him. He sighed in relief.

"Danny!" Phantom yelled loudly. "Stop ignoring me already!"

Danny _did_ choke then. His parents and Jazz jumped into action, creating chaos in the kitchen.

* * *

"I hope you're happy," Danny muttered to Phantom. He glared at the barely visible ghost as he continued to walk towards the park. Phantom was reclining backwards on his back in front of Danny as he floated, his plate of French toast held cautiously above his stomach, as if expecting it to fall. Only those who were looking for him or had a camera out would see him. Not that that really mattered. There weren't anybody besides them on the street.

Phantom gave him a cheeky smile. "I'm just peachy, Danny," he told him. "I haven't been so entertained since Cujo got loose in the observants' courtroom."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Cujo? Observants?"

Phantom nodded, sniffing the French toast and syrup. "Cujo's a "stray" dog in the Ghost Zone that appears really cute but has a nasty temper. He's the best dog in the world if you ask me. The observants were my teachers back in the Zone. They watch the time stream and complain a lot." He smiled at him. "See why Cujo is awesome?"

Danny smiled, picturing a wild dog rampaging around Mr. Lancer's classroom. "Oh yeah." He shook his head. He was supposed to be scolding him or something. "But why'd you yell like that? They could have heard you. They _should_ have heard you, actually."

Phantom shrugged. "I doubt that."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "You _shouted _and they're not deaf."

Phantom shook his head. "No. I shouted inside your head."

"Huh?"

"Uh, I spoke to you telepathically…mind speaking…mind-to-mind…come on, Danny! Get with your inner geek!"

Danny blinked in confusion one more time before getting it. "Oh!" His eyes widened. "Wait a minute…"

"It supports my halfa explanation too," Phantom continued triumphantly. "Two people of the same soul would have that."

Danny shook his head. "Do they usually?"

"…No, but the portal obviously did something." Danny rolled his eyes. Phantom huffed. "I'm still writing it down."

Danny shrugged. "Whatever." They came to an intersection and had to stop for the walk sign to come on. Danny sighed.

Phantom poked the French toast drenched in syrup with his fork and watched curiously as some of the syrup clung to it before dripping back down slowly to the plate.

Danny, who was tapping his foot impatiently, rolled his eyes. "Do you have to do that _every_ time?" he demanded.

Phantom shrugged. "Well, everything is new to me, Danny. I want to check them out."

"Ah." Danny smiled. "You're like a puppy."

Phantom frowned. "'Scuse me?"

"Yeah, you're right. Puppy's stick everything in their mouths. You're more like a kitten."

Phantom bristled angrily. "Hey! Take that back!"

"What?" Danny asked, frowning at him. "You don't like cats?"

Phantom's upper lip lifted in a snarl. "No. Don't you know anything about superstitions?"

"…You mean about the one were cats are the guardians of the underworld or something?" Danny asked, tilting his head to the side.

The green walk sign came on and they crossed, safe from the traffic. Phantom poked his toast again, still looking upset. "Sort of. It's a lot more technical and a lot more realistic than that. Suffice it to say that cats and ghosts are enemies."

"But I thought _dogs_ were the cats' enemies."

Phantom rolled his eyes. "Yeah, their _mortal_ enemies. Ghosts are their _immortal_ enemies."

Danny's mouth twitched. For some reason, Phantom ranting against something as innocent as cats was very amusing. "So, humans are like the dogs and ghosts are like the cats."

Phantom growled, not liking being compared to a cat, but nodded. "Yes," he said reluctantly. "Almost, anyway. Human and ghost relationships are a lot more complicated."

Danny tilted his head to the side again. "So, how do cats feel about halfas?"

Phantom glared at him. "I don't know and I don't care." He pointedly began messing with his toast. Danny smiled in amusement at him. Phantom looked up from his plate temporarily. He pointed his fork accusingly at Danny. "You look like an evil cat right now, Danny," he said in disgust.

Danny laughed.

* * *

**I couldn't resist ;) My cat and her kitten just like staring and hissing at nothing :P**

**(1) Yeah, I know. Sam doesn't do that sort of thing. But I couldn't get anything else to work :(**

**Well, there you go. Chap finished. Next one on its way. My finals are coming up, so I'm not sure how it'll effect things for me. My teachers are rushing to give me as much homework as they can, though ;(**

**The next chapter _should_ be the boys will be boys one. This is really frustrating. How many detours can this story take?! Sam will be coming back in it too. This is how I'm getting her in on their secret. What? It just wouldn't be right without her in on it. :)**

**Hope you liked it.**

**Thanks for reading and please leave a review! Later!**


	12. Boys Will be Boys

**Hiya! ^-^ I am _really_ late, huh? I've just been stressed a lot so I played games instead of writing...when I was at home. Unsurprisingly, hacking monsters to bits is very releaving ;) The good news about me taking about a week to update is that I was able to get more organized with it. I know what I'm going to do with it, but I'll save that for the bottom.**

**To the reviewers:  
Hawky Phantom: **lol. I'm glad you think so :)  
**DPcrazy: **Yeah, I love his curiousity. It's a lot of fun to write ;) And I'm not done with the cat thing yet ;)  
**CrazyDentist-LuVer:** I like the idea too :) I'm glad you like it so much :D  
**Ythena:** lol! Glad you did comment. I liked it :D I agree with ya there. Phantom is adorable. I love making him check out new things XD Danny'll get there eventually. He's taking baby steps. ;)  
**DP-shrine-in-closet-girl:** Phew, good. I know what you mean. I had the same thought about her. I'm a cat person, but I like dogs and cats will be getting a bit of a beating from Phantom in this story (verbal wise, anyway. ;) )  
**Anonymous: **I'll keep it in mind and I'm glad its better.  
**Cee Cee The Critic: **Hey! You're back! (Hehe. Puppy mind XD) I couldn't use the suggestion for this chapter, but I'll try to work it in later. I have a fun idea for it ;) Thanks for reviewing again.  
**And to all of ya, Thanks a lot! :D**

**Cee Cee The Critic brought up something that I am kinda wondering about. How many of you all would like it if Phantom and Sam _did_ hook up? I already have the romance planned out so I'm not goin to change it, but I'm just wondering.**

**Okay, I've given this chapter the Boys will be Boys title, but it's not the chapter I'd planned to use it on. I've given up on that one. This story took on a mind of its own and made it difficult for me to do it ;) Maybe a later chapter.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom. Only the plot of this story :)**

* * *

Chapter 10  
Boys Will be Boys

Phantom hovered above the park's lake as he looked down into his reflection curiously. He was very familiar with mirrors and reflections. There were a lot of ghosts who obsessed over their reflections so mirrors were almost as common in the Ghost Zone as cars were in the human world. What had him so fascinated was the water.

He knew the humans' water reflected, but seeing it happen up close was another. It wasn't the same as a silly shiny piece of rock either. For one, he could still see _through_ his reflection as if he—and everything behind him—was intangible. Even more interesting were the ripples disturbing the image every time the wind blew or Danny moved in the shallows.

Which was happening a lot. A little too often.

Phantom looked up from his reflection and gave his shivering human half a concerned look. Danny was in the middle of taking one of his own tests. They knew Danny's temperature had been lowered while Phantom's had been raised so Danny had proposed seeing how long they could stand being in a hot or cold area. Since they were in the park and with a nice, icy cold lake right there, they'd decided to do the cold test right then and there.

It'd been obvious from the start, though, that Phantom wasn't bothered in the slightest, especially after he'd let out a whoop and almost gone swimming. He'd been excused from the test and instead returned to the one interrupted last night—er, earlier morning. Without going into much detail, he'd lasted about a minute longer than Danny.

...And Danny was apparently very competitive.

So Danny was determined to "beat" him at this…even though he was shivering uncontrollably and getting bluer by the second.

Phantom shook his head and floated over to him. He put a hand on his shoulder and bit his lip when his arm shook from Danny's trembling. The human looked at him silently, his teeth chattering so much speech looked difficult. "I think you should get out, Danny," Phantom said, frowning at him. "Humans didn't go swimming during autumn for a reason, I thought."

"B-b-b-but I c-c-can g-gg-go l-lo-l-long—" Danny tried.

Phantom shook his head. "Yeah, but then you'd get sick. You probably already caught a cold, anyway."

"W-w-why s-sh-should y-y-you c-care?" Danny demanded. "I-I'll b-b-be the o-one s-s-s-ICHOO!" Danny sneezed on Phantom.

The ghost grimaced in disgust and turned intangible so he couldn't be sprayed anymore. "Well, you _are_ my human half. If you died, then I'd die." Danny stiffened at the halfa comment. Phantom inwardly sighed. "Besides that, though, I might be able to get human sicknesses now. From what I understand, they're contagious. Not as much as ghosts', but still catchable without any immunity, which I doubt I have…So you've probably just gave me your cold." He scowled at him. "Thanks a lot." Danny managed a chattering smile before having a coughing fit. "Alright. You're getting out. Right now."

"B-b-but w-w-we're a-a-al-a-al—"

"Yeah, yeah," Phantom interrupted. "We're already sick. But you've likely only gotten a cold. Let's not tempt pneumonia, eh?"

Danny thought this over, getting bluer all the while. Phantom rolled his eyes and groaned in annoyance. He grabbed Danny's arms and flew him back to dry land, ignoring his stuttered angry protests. If Danny really was anything like Phantom, he'd try to stay in the water till he fainted.

He wouldn't get himself killed on Phantom's watch, though.

Danny quickly looked down at his precious stopwatch when Phantom set him down so he could check his time. "Th-th-thirty-t-two m-m-minutes," he stammered triumphantly.

Phantom raised an eyebrow. "You stayed in there a whole half hour? I'm surprised you didn't quit out of boredom."

Danny stopped his chattering long enough to stick his tongue out at Phantom. He hugged his arms tighter and began to rub them to create some heat using friction.

Phantom bit his lip and looked at the freezing human for a while before sighing. _I hate to do this, but_…He unclipped his cape and whirled it off his shoulders and onto Danny's. When the black cape was settled and clasped on Danny, Phantom hesitantly looked at his face. Danny looked a little startled at first, but he soon beamed at Phantom in gratitude. Phantom was a little taken aback by how big and, well, bright the smile was. But he returned a smaller one.

Apparently, the best way to get Danny to smile was through kindness or something. The only smiles Phantom had gotten so far were when Danny got a devious idea or was a little embarrassed about something.

It sort of made him wonder a bit about whether or not he had Danny's personality figured out as well as he thought he had.

"Th-thanks," Danny said.

Phantom shrugged. "It's nothing." It was, actually, but Danny wouldn't understand halfa ghost pride. It was what was keeping Phantom from helping Danny more by rubbing his legs. The cape was bad enough. Halfa ghosts weren't supposed to care about their human's comfort. It went against some sort of grain. They were supposed to be continuously jealous and angry with their humans.

Phantom didn't really have much of either, but he felt like he should.

"S-st-still," Danny insisted, "th-thank you."

Phantom nodded, if only to get him to shut up. He was making it worse.

Danny pulled the cape closer to himself so it wouldn't allow any wind in. He then squatted down and began to rub his legs, somehow managing to keep the cape closed around him.

Phantom tilted his head to the side. "That wasn't one of your better ideas, Danny. I'd think being a human you would be more cautious about getting hurt, considering humans aren't as durable as ghosts."

Danny gave him an uplifting smile, ignoring the small insult. "P-part of b-being a tee-teenager, Ph-Phantom."

"Suicide attempts?" Phantom questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"S-sometimes."

The ghost shook his head. "As if hormones weren't enough," he muttered disappointingly.

"D-do you go-got hormones, t-too?" Danny asked, apparently hearing him.

"Yes, unfortunately," Phantom replied, crossing his bare arms. It felt strange without his cape. Almost like he was naked or something. "Halfa ghosts and born ghosts get them, too."

"R-really? W-why?"

"Because both grow," Phantom said simply with a shrug.

Danny nodded and focused back on reheating his legs instead of asking more questions.

Phantom studied him curiously with his head tilted to the side. He'd suddenly realized what was going on. Well, he'd always known, but he didn't take it seriously or think very clearly about it. The cape on Danny's shoulders was bringing it all home to him.

Phantom and Danny were _willingly_ breaking all the halfa's "rules." Phantom wasn't _hating_ Danny and they were treating each other as rivals—equals even.

Phantom bit his lip and pulled his legs up into the Indian style. They were also…playing almost with each other, learning, advising, helping, protecting, caring—

The only thing remaining the way it was supposed to was Phantom's jealousy and Danny's distrust and even those weren't as strong as they should have been.

Phantom shook his head. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

Danny stood back up with the cape still firmly closed. Wind blew, ruffling bother their hair in the same fashion as they locked eyes. Phantom was a little startled at first and nearly looked away, but didn't. He almost felt time was slowing down and wondered absently if Clockwork was watching.

Danny broke the moment by sneezing. Phantom winced, sure his cape was soiled with snot. Danny gave him an apologetic smile. "S-sorry."

Phantom blinked again at him before shrugging. "Don't worry about it."

Definitely breaking halfa etiquette.

* * *

**(Guess who? ;D It's Clockwork's POV!)**

I smiled warmly as I looked at the halfa pair through my screen. Just as I'd hoped, Phantom and his human half were not acting like normal halfas. You could easily tell by the way they were staring at each other right now. Like close brothers, currently putting away differences.

Of course, Danny had to interrupt it by sneezing. Phantom winced.

I smirked in amusement. The boy loved his cape. The fact that he had lent to Danny spoke a lot about his conscious…or his attachment to his human half. Either way, I felt proud of the boy I'd raised.

My smile fell, but could you blame me? I'm not happy with what I had done to Phantom by any means, but it had to happen. It was for the best.

I sighed. He would probably never forgive me for all that I had put him through. But…

"S-sorry."

I looked back at the screen. Phantom blinked at Danny before shrugging. "Don't worry about it."

I smiled again and shook my head. Who am I kidding? The boy had too kind a heart to hold a grudge for too long. He would never have been a ghost if he hadn't been born a halfa. He just didn't have the…anger for it.

To say that he'd forgive me straight off was saying too much, however. He wasn't _that_ forgiving.

"So, Danny," Phantom said to his human half, his arms crossed and a smug smile on. "Since you chose this test and I won the bet, I get three turns, right?"

Danny opened and closed his mouth. Finally he stopped and glared at Phantom. "Th-that's n-not fair."

_Instead of experimenting, _I thought in annoyance, _they should be seeing to Danny's cold._

"Yes it is."

"N-no, it's no-not. Y-you c-can't c-c-count this t-test."

"Yeah I can," Phantom replied with the utmost confidence. "You got your test last night with the breathing thing and again with the temperature test. You skipped my turn."

"You d-didn't say an-anything."

Phantom just smiled and shrugged.

Danny pursed his lips to try to think of a way out. I knew the loop hole in Phantom's logic, and Danny _could_ remember it. One of those little twists in the road that are so common.

Danny sighed. "Fine. What do you wanna do?"

I shook my head, not really surprised. He wouldn't really think of Phantom discovering their telepathic link as a test, would he?

"Hmm." Phantom tapped his chin thoughtfully.

Ah, another twist. What test will Phantom make? This one is bigger than the last, though. It will decide so _many_ things. So many new choices. So many new victories or defeat. So many new paths to take. All from just _one_ decision.

"Hmm. Well, I think we've been going about this all a bit…wrong," Phantom said thoughtfully. Danny frowned. "I mean, yeah, we've been finding out how everything's changed, and all, but, um…what about our…um, other forms? I mean, we looked different when we left the portal, right?" Danny looked confused, but nodded. "Well, I felt stronger before we changed back, so it might be…different…"

I shook my head with a small smile. He was usually so good at explaining things. He must be confused too.

"W-wait," Danny held up a hand. "Y-you're saying th-that h-how we look w-will affect the t-tests?"

Phantom hit his forehead. "No. I am saying that how we looked represented a different change in us. Different _forms_. Different forms mean different changes to our _bodies_."

Danny pursed his lips. "So you're saying the tests would be different?"

"I said that already, didn't I?"

"Well, yeah, but it didn't make much sense." Danny tilted his head to the side. "How do we even change into these other…err, forms? And how do we know we can?"

Phantom shrugged. "There's only one way to find out. I'll go first since I was awake when we changed back." Danny nodded. Phantom closed his eyes and concentrated.

I smirked. "And so it begins."

* * *

Sam saw the lake before she saw them.

She had been walking down an unpaved part of the park when she came across the only lake in the park. Because time had passed, her little isolated place in the park had become not so isolated and she had to relocate. So she'd come here, the most deserted part in the park during autumn. After all, who in their right mind would visit a lake when it was barely sixty degrees out?

Two boys, apparently.

Sam frowned at the two figures that had ruined her plan for a quiet place where she could think things over. She had a lot to think about after all, and she wouldn't be able to do that with nosy people disturbing her peace.

She sighed in annoyance and was about to look for a different place, when she saw the one not wearing a cape pull up his legs into the Indian style and just…float there, five feet above the ground.

Realization dawned on her and she grinned at the ghost with his back to her. Although it was the one who was squatting that had the black cape on, she knew this one had to be the ghost who'd agreed to help her right before flying away without giving her a way to contact him or a name. Yeah, she was upset with him.

And she was going to give him a piece of her mind too.

But first…

Sam smiled and crept closer, sometimes hiding behind some trees and bushes as she went. She wanted to know who the other boy was—he was bending down so she couldn't see his face—and she wanted to know what they were doing. Usually, she detested eavesdropping, but this was a ghost. You couldn't always be sure about them. Sam was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to be cautious.

She was still out of hearing range when she froze. The one with the black cape on had stood up, revealing his midnight dark hair and sky blue eyes that she could identify in her sleep.

Her best friend, Danny Fenton, was hanging out with a _ghost_!

Well, it wasn't really all that surprising when you considered Danny's personality, but still. You'd think the son and friend of three very capable ghost hunters wouldn't just be staring at a ghost. Just staring…and looking comfortable doing so.

She gazed at the pair in slight awe as wind ruffled the two boys' hair. It just looked so natural for them to. So…serene. Like it was only natural for their hair to move exactly the same way, even though one was a ghost and one was a human. That didn't matter in this staring.

Sam smiled slowly as she saw her idea—now dream, really—playing out in front of her.

Then Danny sneezed on the cape.

Sam smothered an uncharacteristic giggle. That was Danny for ya.

It was almost just as amusing to see the ghost wince at the indignity his cape had just received. Danny smiled a shaky, apologetic smile, and said something along the lines of sorry to which the ghost responded by shrugging.

Sam frowned and narrowed her eyes. She'd finally noticed a few things about Danny. For one, he was an unnatural blue color and for another, he was shivering. Obviously, he was cold. And by the way the cape lay on him, she was sure he was _only_ wearing his white t-shirt under it.

_Although, he does look pretty hot with—_

Sam blanched at her thought and furiously shook her head. It had to be all the black. Yeah, that was it. It was getting to her Goth heart. Danny was just finally wearing black so his eyes were really standing out and—

_Stop it!_ She scolded herself, her cheeks hearing up. She gritted her teeth together. _He's your best _friend_, Sam!_

She shook her head again and focused on the ghost to get her mind off of Danny. Such thoughts were dangerous.

The ghost…didn't really look like one. Instead of blue, green, or even white skin, he had regular skin color for a Caucasian. Albeit, glowing and a lot paler as if he'd never seen much of the sun. His hair was…interesting. Most of it was pure white and was even able to catch the little bit of light from the sun coming through an overcast sky. But at the tip of each strand, there was midnight black hair like Danny's. It was as if he had started out with black hair, but it had continued to grow out as white hair.

Sam's lips pursed in thought but could only conclude that he must have had black hair before he died and it grew when he became a ghost. Or…she gasped and studied his face more intently.

The thing that drew the eye away from the face was his eyes. They were a green color, and she was pretty sure they were emerald colored, but it was hard to identify their specific coloring since they glowed from within. They and his hair were able to draw attention away from his face, un-focusing your eyes so his features wouldn't stand out, but Sam wasn't having any of that. Instead, she ignored the awing sight of them both and focused solely on his face's features.

Yup. They were familiar.

The ghost had the exact same face as Danny. If you somehow got past the hair, eyes, skin, and the slight difference in body posture and build, you'd swear they were the same person. The only way for them to look so similar was for the ghost to be a very powerful shape shifter, he was Danny's long lost twin, or he was a clone gone wrong.

She was strongly against the last. Cloning was…disgusting (I don't know. It just seems like Sam would have that view, wouldn't she?). The first wasn't likely because even a shape shifter couldn't get body posture perfect. As for the twin…it was the most likely. But Danny had never mentioned having a twin and Sam had known him since they were eight. Surely the topic of a twin living with another family would have come up right?

Then again, Danny may not have even known he had one until the twin had died and visited him.

Sam licked her lips and tilted her head to the side as she continued to study the pair. They were talking companionably and the moment before had seemed brotherly, but…it felt like she was missing something.

_Well, you're not getting anywhere by spying on them,_ she told herself sternly. _Just go and ask already_.

Sam took a deep breath and came out from behind the tree she'd been hiding behind. She walked down calmly to the two boys, not bothering to be quiet like before.

Even so, Danny was the only one to notice her approach. The ghost had his eyes closed tightly and he looked as if he were concentrating a lot. Danny's eyes widened when he saw her. Sam was about to smile and wave at him, but stopped when he suddenly looked panicked. She frowned in puzzlement as he tried to get the ghost to stop…whatever it was that he was trying to do.

Too late, apparently.

A white light-ring suddenly appeared around Danny's and the ghost's waists. Two rings became four, two around each waist as each one traveled slowly up or down. Where the light-ring passed over Danny, the black cape he was wearing disappeared and a white one appeared on the ghost. Also, a black jumpsuit with white boots, gloves, collar, and belt appeared "under" the cape. She was surprised to notice that he had a white version of the symbol she'd made for him in the middle of his chest, too.

But all thoughts of his new outfit vanished when the light-ring passed over his head and disappeared. Danny's hair was no longer black. Most of it was, but the tips had turned pure white; like a reversal of the ghost's hair color. His eyes were the real shocker, though. They glowed from within.

Sam's jaw dropped. She barely noticed that the ghost now had all white hair and was glowing more noticeablely.

_Danny's a…he looks like a…_

The ghost turned his head to see what had Danny so worked up. His triumphant grin vanished and his eyes widened in similar panic. He grabbed Danny's arm and began tugging him away from there. Danny wasn't really cooperating.

Sam snapped her mouth shut and her eyes narrowed. She wanted to know what was going on and she wanted to know _now_.

* * *

Danny stared at Sam in shock as Phantom continued trying to get him to run away. Danny wouldn't, though. Sam was his best friend so there wasn't really a reason to run away from her. She was very open-minded to things so she would accept Phantom and what had happened to them.

Besides, she'd just corner him in school if she didn't get her answers.

"Come _on_, Danny," Phantom hissed in aggravation, tugging harder on his arm. "Quick before she yells at us for disturbing the ants! Don't make me _fly_ you away!"

Danny shook his head and pulled back. "We have to explain to her, Phantom. She _saw_ it happen."

Phantom stubbornly shook his head. "We _can't_."

"She won't rest till she gets her answers. If she doesn't get them now, then she'll get them from me at school."

Phantom suddenly let go of his arm, causing Danny to stumble forward a little. Danny looked at Phantom in surprise. Phantom stared back at him, looking as if he'd been betrayed. "You promised not to tell anyone," he whispered.

That—and the sight of him looking so downcast—stung. "I—"

"Danny!" Sam yelled.

Danny continued to stare at Phantom a moment before facing Sam. She'd run down the hill and was slowing down as she reached them. Her face was flushed from the run, but she wasn't out of breath. The joys of being overly fit. Phantom hid behind Danny as she got closer. Danny raised an eyebrow at him, but he wasn't given an explanation.

When Sam reached them, she gave Danny a look over before crossing her arms and giving him a pointed look. "Well? You going to explain?"

Danny rubbed his neck uncomfortably. "I-it's a long story."

"I've got time," she replied, not missing a beat.

Danny nodded and looked over his shoulder at Phantom. The ghost looked unsure of what to do and a little frightened of Sam. It looked as if the only reason he was staying was because Danny was and he felt sure Danny would protect him…or he wanted to intervene if Danny began to reveal too much.

They locked eyes briefly before Danny turned back to Sam. "Alright, but first…" Danny grabbed Phantom's arm and forced the unwilling ghost out from behind him. Phantom looked warily at Sam and almost flew away when she glared at him. Danny held him still. _Please, Phantom_, he thought, hoping saying his name in his mind would help with the mind speaking thing. _Trust_ me_._

Phantom looked at him uncertainly. It kind of reminded Danny of a cat or dog being forced to stand a dog or cat. He had to fight the urge to laugh. Phantom finally stopped struggling so he took that as a good sign.

He smiled at the ghost reassuringly then gestured to Sam. "Phantom, I'd like you to meet my best friend, Samantha Manson." Phantom's mouth formed an "o" at the discovery. "I've known her since we were eight and if you want to live a peaceful afterlife, only call her Sam."

Sam nodded, a slight smile on her face. Phantom nodded his greeting and slide behind Danny again.

Danny smiled and rolled his eyes. He pulled Phantom back out. "Sam this—" He could feel Phantom stiffening "—scardy-_cat_ is my twin brother, Phantom." As Danny had hoped, Phantom was too offended at being referred to as a cat of any kind that he was too busy glaring at Danny to show his surprise. "I've known him since yesterday. Don't drink anything he gives you."

Sam nodded, only looking slightly surprised about Phantom being his "twin." She frowned. "So did you live with a different family before you died or something, Phantom? Danny never mentioned having a twin before."

Danny looked at him with a raised eyebrow. It was _his_ lie now.

Phantom licked his lips and sidled a little behind Danny once more. "I, um…" Phantom looked at Danny and took a deep breath. "I died soon after Danny and I were born." Sam and Danny blinked. Sam in disbelief and Danny in surprise that he'd tell the "truth." Phantom shrugged, a small smile on his face. "I lived my whole 'life' as a ghost and only had one person look after me as a parental figure." He looked down sadly at the mention of his mentor.

Sam held up her hands. "Whoa, wait a minute. How can you have died when you were a baby? You look fourteen right now."

Phantom glanced at Danny and smiled a little. "You heard of twin telepathy, right?" Sam frowned but nodded. "Well, it sometimes works even after death so that the dead twin still agaes as long as the other continues to live."

"Oh," Sam said, "so it's sort of like a life line?"

Phantom nodded and shrugged.

_Is this true? _Danny wondered. If it was, wouldn't it be more likely than the halfa thing? Wouldn't Phantom use that as a lie instead if he needed one?

Phantom apparently caught his thought. "No," he heard him say, though his mouth didn't move. "Rarely does it happen and when it does, it's never with newborns. The 'bond' isn't strong enough." Phantom smirked at him. "Only halfas can 'live' after dying as a baby."

Danny bit his lip and looked away.

"Alright," Sam said finally after she'd thought things over. "That makes sense, I guess. A little…strange, but pretty cool." She looked at Danny again, a worried frown on her face. "And the reason you look like a ghost is…?"

Danny shifted a little uncomfortably and looked at Phantom who was losing some of his fear of Sam and was coming out from behind him. "Well, uh, we're not really sure _why_…"

Phantom was smiling. "…But I got a theory."

* * *

"So _you_—" Sam pointed at Danny "—went inside your parents' dysfunctional invention with _only_ a hazmat suit for protection." Danny smiled sheepishly at her. "Then you tripped and accidentilly pushed some sort of power button and the portal started working. While _you_—" she pointed at Phantom who went a little stiff "—were on the other side in the Ghost Zone trying to persuade some thousands of ghosts that invading was a bad idea." He nodded. "When Danny turned on the portal, you were pulled through…atom by atom?" Phantom grimaced but nodded again. She crossed her arms and scowled at them. "So when you two woke up, you looked like you do now and have been spending your free time since trying to kill each other on the _pretense_ of 'discovery.'"

The boys blushed and smiled guiltily as they rubbed their necks…at the same time. All synchronized. She felt a chill run down her spine at it.

She grabbed Danny's arm suddenly and he raised his eyebrows. "Can I talk to you for a sec?" She pulled him away from his twin before he could answer.

When they were a decent distance away, Sam stopped and Danny rubbed his sore arm. "Gees, Sam. A little more gentle next time, please. I still got nerves, you know."

Sam looked back at Phantom before facing Danny again when she was convinced he really _was_ inspecting the ground. "Are you sure you can trust him?"

"Huh?"

"I know he looks exactly like you, but he just…" she shrugged helplessly. "It's like you two are the same person or something. Are you sure he's your twin and not a clone or something?"

Danny frowned. "What do you mean? Same person?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah. If I didn't know any better and he didn't look fairly different, I'd swear you two were the same person in two different places at once. None of the twins I've met have been able to synchronize so well together."

Danny bit his lip and looked away. He shook his head after a moment. "I guess I can't know for sure until I ask Mom about my birth. But, Sam, he hasn't given me a reason _to_ distrust him. Besides, who'd clone me?"

Sam crossed her arms. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe the thousands of ghostly enemies your parents and Valerie have that could use 'you' as a hostage if they made a clone of you."

Danny smiled a little. "Yeah, but how likely is that?"

Sam huffed. "Alright, say he _is_ your twin. How do you know he's not a bad ghost?"

"…Do you think he is?"

Sam shook her head. "No. He—" They heard Phantom gasp and looked back at him. He'd fallen back on his butt and was looking at something in the grass with wide eyes. Sam turned back to Danny. "He's too innocent for it." Danny smirked a little. "But he could be acting."

"So?" Danny asked, frowning. "You want me to tell him to go away because of the possibility he _might_ be bad?"

Sam glared at him. "Don't talk to me like I'm your parents or Valerie, Danny. You _know_ I'm against that sort of thing."

Danny sighed and looked down. "Yeah, I know, Sam. I'm sorry. It's just that I'm really confused and…" He shrugged helplessly.

Sam's expression softened. "It's alright. I understand." Danny looked back up at her from under his white bangs and smiled gratefully. Sam smiled back. "I'm just saying to stay cautious around him till you know for sure."

"I am…"

Sam smirked. "Oh really? 'Cause I think I remember hearing you mentioning something about experimenting on each other."

Danny shrugged. "None of them were really risky…except for when he dropped me. But he caught me. Shouldn't that prove that he's not out to get me?"

"No. Not really." Sam sighed then smiled a little. "But you would know better than me, I guess. Just keep your eyes open, alright?"

Danny nodded, smiling goofily at her. "I—"

"Oww!"

Sam and Danny looked at Phantom. The ghost had his index finger in his mouth and was looking angrily at the ground at his feet. He looked up when he sensed eyes on him. He blushed and took his finger out of his mouth. "It bit me," he said in embarrassment. "The stupid fuzzy bug _bit_ me."

* * *

**Yay! In his own weird way, Danny's defending Phantom. Eh, kinda. He's making progress. And Phantom's been bit. Curiosity bit the cat ;)**

**And we saw Clockwork for a bit. I'd planned to get more of his thoughts, but it didn't happen that way. Ah well. Later maybe.**

**Now, I was saying I got a plan for this story. I've decided to make it into smaller stories--kinda like episodes, i guess--instead of just one big one. I'd be a lot easier for me and that way I can get breaks in between. Besides, I like making summaries and starting the begining of stories. It's a lot of fun. And it'll make the stories sound better in the end. Since this one is now like a regular story, I can say that we've entered the middle and will be here for about three to five chapters. Eh, that's long actually -_' **

**That cool with you guys?**

**Thanks for reading and please leave a review :D**


	13. A Walk in the Park

**Heh...Stupid writer's block...My computer hog of a family didn't help much either...I'm being a hypocrite :P**

**To the reviewers!  
Dannyphantomfreeek: **Lol. Thanks. And a cat and a Cujo will definetly make an appearance. Maybe I could use that scene too... ;)  
**Kiomori: **Glad the ideas cool with you. I'm excited about it. I wasn't sure about bringing Clockwork back in for that little bit, but I didn't want it to seem like he'd abandoned Phantom. You'll see.  
**DPcrazy: **lol. I loved that part too, especially since it was mostly spur of the moment. I was originally going to have it as a catipillar, but my little brother protested. He's handled a lot and he said that they're not capable of biting humans. Stupid know-it-all brother ;( ....But I love him!  
**Hawky Phantom: **Good. I had a lot of trouble with it, and I wanted to show that they were bonding...but not too quickly ;) Lol. I had to redo Sam's entrance a few times so I'm good it came out right.  
**Thunderstorm101: **Lol. He's never going to live the kitty thing down is he ;D  
**Hyperpegasi: **Wow! I'm glad you like it so much :D  
**Cee Cee The Critic: **Eventually, Danni might. I'm not sure 'cause I'm not really familiar with her. But I have some fun ideas about her so we'll see. Lol. And Tucker will only come back through the internet in this story. :( I know. I don't like it either. But, on the bright side, the next story will focus around him and his arrival :)  
**DP-shrine-in-closet-girl: **Shh! Don't tell him ;D I'm glad you got that from Sam. I think that's one of the best things I got going with her :)  
**Thank you all for reviewing! You broke the record! I got _nine_ reviews! That's awsome!**

**Sorry it took so long to get this up here. I got writers block, finals, school ending, and family time. It's been a really crazy week for me. But, I got it up! My older brother--who's the biggest computer hog next to me--now has a job so I can steal the computer. Muhaha!**

**What really got rid of the block, though, was one of our family events. My basketball star/know-it-all little brother wanted us to play a basket ball game and my team won! Whoohoo! As my prize, I got a lot of time on the computer so I was finally able to finish this. Hope you enjoy! It was really difficult and I had to throw away huge chunks.**

**I do not own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

Chapter 11  
A Walk in the Park

"Last time I pet a fuzzy bug," Phantom grumbled unhappily as Sam inspected his finger closely. It had taken them a long time to convince Phantom to let _Sam_ inspect the bite. As it was, Danny had to sit behind him so he could restrain his periodical struggles for escape. Phantom watched her warily as she brought it closer to her face, tensing slightly.

Danny couldn't help smiling as he rolled his eyes. "Common sense says you shouldn't have in the first place, Phantom."

Phantom stuck his tongue out at him but yelped instead when Sam squeezed his finger. Danny held him still as he tried to struggle away from the Gothic girl again.

"I'm just seeing if that bug that bit you was poisonous!" Sam growled in frustration, holding onto his hand tighter so he couldn't pull it away from her.

Phantom did _not_ like that tone. She might as well have drawn an ecto-gun.

"_Sam_," Danny said in aggravation after Phantom accidentally hit his head. "Can you please stop scaring him?"

"I'm not doing it on _purpose_." Phantom came a _little_ too close to kicking her face. "Watch it!"

"Alright, Phantom. Stop it!" Danny ordered, glaring at his twin/ghost's head. "If you keep struggling, then the poison'll spread further."

"_If_ I was poisoned," the ghost corrected but stopped trying to break away. "And I doubt I was."

"If it was a spider, then—" Danny began.

"What's a spider?" Phantom interrupted, turning his head so he could see Danny's face.

Danny's eyes widened in disbelief. "Um…eight legged bugs…"

"They're not bugs, Danny," Sam corrected. "They're arachnids."

"Aren't they the same thing?"

"If you mean bugs as in insects, no." Sam squeezed the small bite wound again and some yellow juices came out. Phantom hissed in pain and began struggling again. This time, Sam let go after rolling her eyes. "Looks like you _were_ poisoned."

"So?" the ghost demanded, snatching his hand to the "safety" of his chest. "It's not like I can be hurt by mortal poison by some little bug, anyway. Why'd you have to find out?" He grimaced a little. "Now it hurts."

Sam rolled her eyes again. "That's most likely because of the venom. Just how big was this 'little bug?'"

"Um…about the size of my middle finger, I think," Phantom replied thoughtfully.

Danny's jaw dropped. "It was _three_ inches?!"

Phantom raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. What's the big deal?"

Danny slapped his forehead. "Phantom, we don't get foot long bugs here. Three inches is _big_."

The ghost shrugged uncaringly. "I've seen worse."

"Did it have eight legs, Phantom?" Sam asked him, her brows furrowing.

"Yup. A three inch furry spider."

Danny gapped at him. "You found Kwan's missing _tarantula_ and you tried to _pet_ it?!"

Phantom cocked his head to the side. "It belonged to someone? Oops. I might have killed it when I kicked it away."

"You what?!" Sam cried angrily, getting to her feet and placing her hands on her hips. She glared down at him furiously. Phantom squeaked and jumped behind Danny. "You kicked and maybe killed Fuzzy because she _bit_ you?"

"Um…yeah…" Phantom said quietly, looking scared and confused as he peeked his head out from behind Danny's shoulder. "Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

"No! It was your own fault you were bitten! She only bit you because you tried to pet her!"

"I wanted to know if it was soft," he whimpered, lowering his head behind Danny's shoulder again.

Sam gritted her teeth and her eyes flashed murder.

Danny couldn't help it. He laughed.

Sam turned her angry glare to him. "The killing of an innocent spider is _not_ a laughing matter, Danny."

Danny shook his head. "No, it's Phantom." He chuckled. "He just can't leave things alone." He laughed again.

Phantom scowled at him. "It looked harmless at first."

Sam snorted. "Tarantulas rear up on their hind legs and try to threaten the threat away. Then they even try to run away before biting. Are you telling me that throughout that whole process you thought she was harmless?"

"It bit me _first_," Phantom protested. "When it finally _did_ rear up I kicked it away." Sam's glare seemed to phase through Danny and straight to the ghost. "Hey! It was self defense! It was moving in for the attack!"

Sam groaned and placed a hand over her eyes. "First the birds and now this. Animals just don't act normally around you."

"Birds?" Danny questioned curiously. "…You killed birds too?!"

Phantom flicked the back of Danny's head. "No! I scared them this morning. Goth girl here thought I threw rocks at them to do it."

Sam crossed her arms. "I didn't realize you were a ghost. If I would have known, I wouldn't have made the assumption."

"Yeah, well, you still came up and started yelling at me before knowing whether I'd done something wrong or not."

"Whoa! Hold up!" Danny waved his arms around a bit to get their attention. "You're saying you two met before now?" They nodded.

"She was that crazy girl I mentioned this morning," Phantom said, loud enough for Sam to hear it. She glared at him in response.

"I thought you called her scary," Danny commented.

Sam raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Well, I _meant_ crazy."

Sam rolled her eyes. "I had come out to the park to get away from my parents, Danny. When I got here, I found him and all the birds scared away. When I found out he was a ghost, I enlisted his help in my new campaign against ghost cruelty because he didn't seem like a bad ghost. I thought he'd be able to help me convince the public that not all ghosts are psychotic killers."

"Oh."

Phantom cocked his head to the side when he dared to look over Danny's shoulder again. "Just how are you planning to do that? What am I supposed to do?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know. I just came up with the idea this morning." She glared at him again suddenly. "And what was the big idea about leaving me without a way to contact you, huh?" she demanded crossly. "Did you expect me to somehow magically know where you are and how to find you? Or were you planning to ditch me after you agreed to help?"

Phantom once again disappeared behind Danny's shoulder.

"I think he was just really hungry, Sam," Danny suggested. "He practically inhaled his French toast."

Sam frowned. "You got hungry? Well, your stomach did growl."

"It was a _truck,_" Phantom protested.

Danny chuckled. "Yeah, his stomach _is_ so loud, it sounds like a truck." Phantom glared at him. "Anyway, that's one of the human needs that Phantom has now. I got some ghost powers and have been falling through things."

Phantom shook his head. "They're more like ghost abilities since they're basic stuff, actually."

"Hey," Danny scolded cheerfully. "Don't kill the excitement."

Phantom grinned rolled his eyes.

"Well, what all do you know so far since you were…'experimenting'?" Sam asked, concealing her enthusiasm only from Phantom. Danny had known her too long not to know her moods…not that that meant anything!

Phantom sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, ya see, we were kinda in a rush to get out of the house so we forgot our clipboard."

Sam slapped her forehead.

"But we remembered the stopwatch!"

"Oh, goody!" Sam said sarcastically. "A stopwatch. Let's time how long it takes for you to realize just how useless that is right now."

Phantom pouted and sunk behind Danny again. Danny smiled sympathetically and patted his head. The ghost slapped his hand away.

"It's no big deal, Sam," Danny said, smiling up at her. "I can fill you in on it later. I'm more curious about _why _we can change." He tapped Phantom's shoulder. "Didn't you say you had a theory why?" The ghost nodded against his shoulder. "…Well? Aren't you going to explain?" He shook his head. "Why not?" Phantom wordlessly pointed to Sam. "Oh boy," Danny moaned, placing a hand over his eyes.

"What?" Sam demanded. "What'd I do?"

Phantom snorted.

"It's not _my_ fault you find me scary."

"Crazy," Phantom corrected. "I find you _crazy_."

"Would you like to repeat that?!" Sam yelled, advancing towards the boys.

"Okay!" Danny shouted, clapping his hands together and getting to his feet. Phantom scrambled up and hid behind Danny again quickly, suddenly aware of just how far he'd pushed Sam. Danny offered them both a hopeful smile. "I think we all need a break. How about some ice cream?"

Phantom and Sam raised an eyebrow at him. "Ice…cream?" Phantom questioned.

Danny nodded. "Yup. So we can eat it while we talk. 'Sides, you two _really_ need to take a chill pill and what better way than ice cream?"

Sam crossed her arms. "I don't know about this. You're looking a little blue around the lips, Danny."

Danny shrugged uncaringly. "I'm not shivering or anything. I'm not warm, but I'm not cold either. You eat ice cream for the taste, anyway, not the cold."

Phantom snorted. "You may not be shivering now, but you were before Sam barged in." Sam glared indignantly at him. He ignored it and pursed his lips in thought. "Or after we changed forms…Why'd you change yours anyway? I was supposed to go first."

Danny frowned. "I…didn't. Not on purpose, anyway. It just happened."

"Hmm." Phantom crossed his arms and studied Danny intently.

The human shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like being stared at like that. He wasn't a science project for crying out loud!

Phantom's eyes half closed in thought suddenly and the white light-ring appeared around both their waists again. Danny watched his with wide eyes as it split into two separate rings and started to go their separate ways. Instinctively, he held his breath and shut his eyes tight as the top one approached his face. He saw light intrude through his eyelids for a brief moment before it vanished.

Danny peeked one eye open cautiously. Yeah, they'd done this before, but he'd been so anxious about Sam finding them that he hadn't really paid all that much attention to it. When the rings passed over him, he got this…tingling feeling. Kind of like he was being shocked again and like…Well, he wasn't sure what the other feeling felt like. It was like a pull and a tug inside of him. Specifically, it was like tug-a-war. Something pulled on him and he tugged back. See? Funny feeling.

Phantom looked down at his hands and then back at Danny and smiled warily. Phantom's hair had gone back to being white and black and his cape was now gone. His clothes were once again black and he didn't glow as brightly.

"Do you still need my cape, Danny?" Phantom asked lightheartedly.

Danny raised an eyebrow and looked down. Sure enough, he was wearing Phantom's black cape again. He smiled apologetically at him and unclasped it. He handed it back to Phantom who gratefully took it and fastened to himself.

He sighed in relief. "Gosh. I feel so naked without it."

Danny rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Well, um, thanks for letting me use it."

Phantom shrugged and looked away, looking a little uneasy.

"Why were you wearing it anyway, Danny?" Sam asked. "It's cold out here, but it's not _that_ cold." Her eyes narrowed. "You didn't go for a swim, did you?"

Danny laughed nervously. "Well…"

"He went into the lake," Phantom offered helpfully. "He was in there for more than a half hour." Phantom glared at Danny who had been frantically trying to make silencing motions with his hands before Sam's attention returned to him. "He's got a cold now and he's most likely given it to me."

Danny slapped his forehead.

Sam sighed. "What am I going to do with you Danny? You're almost as bad as Phantom and petting spiders."

"Hey! It looked _harmless_!"

"If you're sick then you should be going home, not getting ice cream," Sam continued, ignoring Phantom's sulking.

"It's _just_ a cold, Sam. And…" Danny pouted, turning on his puppy face. "I really like ice cream…"

Sam's face began to soften before she shook her head furiously. "No. You don't eat ice cream when you're sick."

"But ice cream makes me feel better…_Please_, Sam?"

Sam gritted her teeth in frustration, trying desperately to not look him in the face. Danny kept his trademark puppy face on, knowing she eventually had to crack. It was just a matter of time…

She caved. "Fine. We'll go get some ice cream."

Danny jumped, punching the air and letting out a whoop. A small, fond smile settled on Sam's face.

Phantom, who'd been watching the whole thing curiously, whistled in surprise. The humans looked at him with raised eyebrows and he smiled back playfully. "You tamed her, Danny. You achieved the impossible and tamed the untamable Goth!"

Danny winced and looked cautiously at Sam. She was practically seething. "What was that, Phantom?" she asked in a very, very quiet and controlled voice. Sam's not happy.

"Uh…" Phantom had apparently caught on to it. "I think I'll, uh, just wait here…"

"Good idea," Sam said with a…calm? smile. "Why don't you wait in that tree right over there, stay invisible, and pretend you never ever existed?"

Phantom glanced at the tree she was pointing to…more accurate to call it a log. The tree was a fallen one in the middle area of the lake. Only a branch was above the water. Phantom was about to protest, but thought better of it when Sam's eyes narrowed. "Uh…excellent suggestion."

Sam smiled in satisfaction and calmly turned and began walking up the hill.

Danny turned back to Phantom who looked a little downcast. He patted his shoulder. "No worries, man," he told him. "She wasn't really serious. She was just practicing her authority on you."

Phantom frowned. "Huh?"

Danny laughed. "C'mon. Stay on an abandoned log in the middle of a lake? She's _not_ serious. She's just testing to see how intimidating you find her."

"That seems…odd."

Danny shrugged but smiled. "Don't ghosts do the same thing?"

"…Weird."

"Not really. Ghosts used to be humans too." Danny took a few steps back. "We'll be back in about fifteen minutes. The Nasty Burger is just outside the park."

"_Nasty_ Burger?" Phantom questioned, wrinkling his nose.

Danny shrugged. "It tastes better than it sounds. Valerie works there so I would have suggested staying here anyway."

"Valerie as in Red Huntress Valerie?" Danny nodded. "Yup. Definitely staying here. Man does that girl have a _temper_."

Danny nodded a little unhappily. "Well, don't get into any trouble while we're gone, alright?"

Phantom rolled his eyes. "Just because I got bit by a bug…"

"She was a tarantula and most people _know_ not to mess with spiders, especially big ones."

"Big? It was _small_!"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh. Well, see ya in a few, Phantom." He smiled at him and raced up the hill after Sam, who was already at the top and waiting patiently with her back to them.

"Don't take too long!" Phantom called after him.

Danny smiled and raised his in acknowledgement.

Sam looked over her shoulder at him when he reached the top. He held up a finger as he bent over, trying to catch his breath. He wasn't as fit as Sam and running up a hill was tiring for him.

Sam took the time to check and see if Phantom had obeyed her. She snorted and Danny looked up to see what'd happened. Phantom _had_ gone to the log…but Danny was pretty sure that swimming wasn't part of his instructions. Danny laughed as Phantom resurfaced by flying out of the lake and returning to it in a cannonball. (1)

"Well, what'd you expect, Sam?" he asked, smiling at his best friend. "Somebody that curious is going to have trouble sitting still."

"It hasn't even been two minutes," Sam commented, uncrossing her arms and returning to the path.

Danny shrugged and followed her. They walked down the paved pathway in silence, Danny with his hands in his pockets and Sam frowning in thought. Normally, Danny would have broken it…but Sam was upset and needed some space. Luckily, Phantom was talking to him. He was sure it wasn't on purpose, though. It was a bunch of babble.

_"This is some deep lake!...Whoa! What was that?!...Whoa! Big fish, very big fish!...Hey! Get away!...What is with animals and trying to bite me?!...Stupid pike…at least I think it's a pike…it's a fish….it has sharp teeth…Hey! What's that? That's not a fish…A snake maybe?...Yup! Definitely a snake!..."_

And on and on.

Danny couldn't help chuckling.

Sam looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

Danny shrugged, keeping his smile. "Oh just…thinking." He pulled his hands out of his pockets and stretched. "Man it's early!"

Sam smiled a little. "Yeah. Eleven o' clock is indeed early."

Danny coughed, half in embarrassment and half because, well, he needed to. "Yeah, well, I've been up since nine…I think."

Sam whistled, somehow making it sound sarcastic. "Wow. Nine in the morning and on a Saturday."

Danny sighed. "Yeah, well, Jazz made French toast and before that, Phantom woke me up, so…" He shrugged.

"Phantom woke you up?" Danny nodded. "Does that mean he stayed overnight?"

Danny looked at her curiously. "Well, yeah. We were both really exhausted after all we'd been through that day and it'd be kind of rude of me to just send him away. And…I said he could stay with me for as long as he liked." Sam starred at him in surprise. "He's my twin and he doesn't have anywhere to go Sam! His mentor or guardian or whatever practically kicked him out and Skulker's most likely hunting him down in the Ghost Zone."

Sam shook her head. "What about your parents? They _are_ ghost hunters, and, twin or not, Phantom's a ghost. If they find him, they _will_ hurt him."

Danny bit his lip before shaking his head. "They didn't realize he was there last night and they were using a ghost detector. They're good at making inventions, but they wouldn't notice a ghost if it was standing behind them."

"That's a bit harsh for our city's best know ghost hunters and your parents, don't you think?"

"I'm speaking from experience, Sam," Danny replied with a sigh.

"Well, what about Valerie?"

"She doesn't come over very often and Phantom can just leave for a while when she does." Sam frowned thoughtfully. "Can't we just give it a shot? Phantom said that he's still going to be looking for somewhere else to stay anyway. He doesn't like the idea of sleeping just above two ghost hunters—even if they are his parents—any more than you do."

Sam sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Alright. Since you _have_ thought it out and Phantom's not going to just accept it, I'll stop complaining. But—"

"I know, I know. Keep my eyes open for sabotage and evil scheming."

Sam crossed her arms but couldn't help her lips twitching. Danny took that as a victory and smiled at her.

The smile faded, though, when Phantom suddenly went quiet.

Danny licked his lips nervously and looked over his shoulder in the direction of the lake. He couldn't see it anymore, but he couldn't help but make the action. For some reason, he didn't like not hearing him. It wasn't that he didn't trust him…well, not exactly anyway. It was more that Amity Park was a dangerous place for a ghost, what with it being the home of the three best known ghost hunters around. He could have been spotted and the witness could very easily call Danny's parents who would call Valerie who would be at the lake in a matter of seconds and then—

Danny almost laughed._ Gees, Danny. Get a grip. You've barely known him for a whole day and you're already worrying about him. He's a ghost and can take care of himself. Sure, according to him, he's a halfa and not very powerful, but he escaped Mom, Dad and Val the other night, so he should be alright. It's not like he's going to see a poodle and wonder what it is…Maybe to be on the safe side…Phantom? _Danny was pretty sure he understood how to communicate through their…link now. Just think as if you were talking to someone…preferably the other.

_"You rang?" _Phantom's voice said with a slightly amused tone to it.

_Um, what are you doing?_

_"Nosy much?"_

_Well, I, uh… _It was hard to form sentences inside your head when you're stumped.

_"Were you worried?"_

Danny scowled at the teasing and satisfied voice. _No. I just didn't want you hurting anymore wildlife._

_"Uh-huh. Well, I'm not hurting any wildlife."_

_…So what _are_ you doing?_

_"Gees. Do I need your permission or something?"_

_No, I—_

_"Don't worry about it. I'm flying, if you must know."_

_Flying where?_

_"Up."_

_Stop being so difficult._

_"Touchy. Well, I'm flying up to the clouds. I want to see the sun."_

Danny tripped a little. Sam caught his arm before he could fall. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Danny shook his head. Sam continued to look at him for a second before facing forward again. After all, it was natural for Danny to trip. He was really clumsy.

_What do you mean, Phantom?_

_"Well, the clouds are hiding the sun and I want to see it."_

_Phantom, clouds aren't fluffy cotton balls. They're dangerous. _

_"I'll be fine."_

_You're practically alive remember? If you get hurt, it's for real. _There was no response. _...Phantom?_ Still nothing. Did that mean something bad happened or that he was just ignoring him?_ Hey! Answer me! _Or was it just that Danny lost the knack of controlling the link?_ Darn it._

Danny sighed and crossed his arms. Figures.

Sam raised an eyebrow at him. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing." Danny shook his head. He looked over his shoulder again. They were almost to the Nasty Burger so they should be about to be back soon. He faced Sam once more. "What do you think of Phantom, Sam?"

Sam frowned. "He's alright, I guess. Why?"

He shrugged. "I'm just curious. I mean, you seem to hate him almost."

Sam sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Hates too strong a word, Danny. I hate Paulina and I hate our environment destroying mayor, but I don't hate your twin. He just…aggravates me."

Danny chuckled. "So I noticed."

"Maybe if he'd stop being so afraid of me he'd be bearable. He's a lot like you in some ways."

Danny snorted. "How so?"

"Well, you're both too curious for your own good, you were born from the same parents, and you look the same. Need I go on?"

Danny blew hair out of his eyes. "Besides tha—"

"Well, well. If it isn't Fentonia taking his girlfriend out for a date," a very masculine voice sneered from behind them.

Danny stopped in mid step and felt himself tense. _Why now? We were just_ two feet _away from the door…_

Sam whirled around with her arms placed angrily on her hips. "For the last time, Dash, I am _not_ his girlfriend!"

Danny warily turned around to face the all star bully of the school. Dash was very tall and buff. He had to be since he was both the quarterback in football and the forward in basketball. He had blond hair and Sam repeatedly remarked on how he wasn't helping blonde reputation. His eyes were crystal blue, but Valerie said that Danny's were prettier—and yes, Danny had protested having "pretty" eyes. Nevertheless, Dash was the hotshot in school.

Beside him was his best friend, Kwan, an Asian-American. He wasn't as muscular as Dash, but he was still bigger than Danny by far. He had short black hair cut and held neatly. No messiness for him. His slit eyes were pale green.

They were both wearing their red letterman jackets. Dash had his arms crossed and a sneer on his face while Kwan looked more relaxed and less intimidating.

"We were just heading to the Nasty Burger to get us and our friend some ice cream, Dash," Danny said. "Not for a date."

Dash's eyes instantly lit up. Danny had to restrain himself from slapping his forehead. He shouldn't have said that. He should _not_ have said that.

"Would this friend happen to be the Red Huntress?" the bully asked eagerly.

"No, Dash," Danny said slowly. "It's not."

Dash stuck his nose in the air. "Then what good are ya?" He reached out a hand and pushed Danny forcefully out of his way.

Danny grunted as he caught himself and glared angrily at the bullies' backs as they stepped inside the Nasty Burger. It happened all the time since and before the third grade, but he still couldn't just _not_ get upset with it. Especially when Dash went a little too far. He didn't this time, but Danny still wished he could deck him.

Sam shook his shoulder to get his attention. "C'mon, Danny. Don't let him bother you. You know that's what he wants."

Danny shook his head, but let himself calm down. "It's a shame he's so good at it then."

She smiled sorrowfully. "Yeah, well, that's what you get for giving the baby his bottle all the time."

Danny choked. "Don't call me his _bottle_, Sam!"

She made a disgusted sound and punched his arm. "Get your mind out of the gutter. You know what I meant."

Danny smiled and rubbed his arm. "Yeah, I know. Come on. I don't like the idea of leaving Phantom out there all on his own."

"Worried about him?" Sam asked with a smirk.

He scoffed. "_No_. I'm worried about harmless animals getting the brunt of his curiosity."

Sam's smirk fell away and her eyes widened. "Uh, good point." She grabbed his arm and pulled him quickly through the doors.

The Nasty Burger was the Freshmen class's hangout. It wasn't the best fast food restaurant Amity Park had to offer, but everywhere else belonged to the Seniors, Juniors, or Sophomores. And even when the Freshmen moved on to become sophomores, they'd still come there. They'd become attached to the place, unpleasant or not.

Dash and Kwan had bypassed the counter and were currently sitting at one of the window booths with a whole crowd of their teammates. Dash looked up at them when they entered and began making kissy faces. His crowd laughed.

Sam growled but Danny stopped her before she could march over to them. Instead they headed to the counter where a more welcome face smiled at them. Danny smiled a little back at Valerie and waved. He noticed Sam tensing a bit but put it away to his imagination or her new dislike for "ghost cruelty."

"Hey, Val," Danny said politely when they reached the counter.

"Hey, Danny," Valerie replied cheerfully. "Sam."

"Valerie," Sam greeted emotionlessly.

"So what brings you here, Danny?" Valerie asked, ignoring the Goth. "You just hanging out or are you on…more official business?" She cast a glance at Sam who smirked at her.

Danny, figuring that she meant his parents and ghost hunting, shrugged. "No. We just came to get us and a friend some ice cream."

"Oh? A new friend?"

Danny smiled a little warily. "Uh, yeah."

"Where is he or she?"

"Waiting by the lake," Sam replied, still without any emotion. "He became fascinated with the wildlife around there and thought it'd be better to wait behind."

Danny fought down a snicker.

"Oh. Well, he seems…interesting. Like your kind of person, Sam." Valerie smirked at her and Sam glared back.

Danny looked between the two in confusion for a moment. "Well, uh, maybe, but he is kind of waiting so…"

Valerie blinked and laughed. "Oh, right." She beamed brightly at them in a fake, good salesman way. "Welcome to Nasty Burger. May I take your order?"

Danny chuckled. "'K, how about a small mint chocolate ice cream cone for me and a vanilla crunch bar for our friend."

"Ok, anything else?"

Danny discreetly hit Sam's ribs with his elbow. She sighed gloomily. "I'll have a chocolate."

"Ice cream cone?"

"What else?"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Alright. That'll be three seventy-five."

Danny dug around in his pockets as Valerie turned around to get the ice creams. He groaned when he found all four empty. "Sam, can I—"

"Yeah, yeah." She pulled a five from her skirt pocket. (2) "But you owe me."

Danny smiled and shrugged. "'S alright. You'll just have to remind me, though."

Valerie set the ice cream bar on the counter and went back for the ice cream. Danny grabbed the bar by its rapper and waited patiently for the rest.

Once upon a time—before Freshmen became frequenting the place—they'd had a ice cream tub but it'd gone away since apparently, there were quite a few thieves who came around. Either way, Danny was happy with it. He wouldn't have to walk near Dash and his goons just to get Phantom an ice cream bar. He just wasn't worth it.

Valerie came back a second later with their ice cream cones. She handed one to each and took the five from Sam. Danny happily began licking at his. "Ok, you gave me a five and two dollars and twenty-five cents is your change." The register beeped. Valerie put in the five and took out the two and a quarter, handing them to Sam. "Thank you for buying from Nasty Burger, the tastiest burger around. Please come again."

Danny chuckled again. "I'm sorry, Val. It's just so funny to hear you talk like that."

Valerie smirked playfully at him. "Uh-huh, Danny. Just wait till you have to get a job. Then I'll come and laugh at your sales pitch."

"You can try," he countered back with a playful smile of his own.

"Oh, I will." She leaned forward on the counter and looked at him curiously. "So, who is this friend of yours? Will I meet him soon?"

"Uh, heh, maybe," Danny replied awkwardly, suddenly wanting to get out of there. "He's actually really shy—"

"Danny!" Sam hissed suddenly, gripping his arm tightly.

He yelped and looked at her in surprise. She pointed wordlessly to the TV in the corner where Dash and his goons were gathered around. Danny squinted, but couldn't make out what the big deal was. "What is it, Sam?"

Sam groaned and began dragging him towards the jocks. When they were close enough, Danny gaped at the screen.

_Phantom…why did you…?_

_"It was an accident!"_

Danny looked over his shoulder. The Red Huntress had left the building.

* * *

**Hee. Cliffy-ish. The next chap will be Phantom's POV from when Sam and Danny left him, but that's not very long. It's only been seven and a half minutes, after all ;) So whatever Phantom did, he's gonna have to deal with Valerie.**

**(1) Yeah. He took off his cape. I just couldn't fit that in there.  
(2) I'm not sure if it does have pockets, but Sam's practical, so I'm sure she would.**

**I had origianally planned to have them discuss what'd happened at the portal, but with Sam being there, it just got confusing. So two or so chapters later and you'll get your answers. I don't see why you need 'em, I don't think the why's important, but I do know that I gotta, so...**

**One question. It's about Paulina. In the show, she was all obsessed with Danny Phantom and it was funny because he was Danny _Fenton_. See the problem? I don't think it'd be right for her not to fantasize over Phantom, but then I'll lose the fun of her crushing on Danny. What say you all?**

**Well, thanks for reading and leave a review! Bye!**


	14. First Time

**Yes! I'm on time! I had a lot of fun with this chapter. For some reason, Phantom's easier to write than Danny. Maybe it's because I've given him a quirk. I'll need to work on Danny. Hmm.**

**To the reviewers!  
Kiomori: **That is weird lol. Cool, though. Trouble magnets right ;) that shines in this chap I think. Yeah, I guess. Thanks for the suggestions.  
**Lost MP: **I remember thinking the same thing about a bee...I didn't touch it, but I was wondering :) Thanks. I hate over sweet things too. A story loses a lot of my respect when it has too much mushyness...er, fluff. Whatever ya call it. ;)  
**Random Reviewer: **Glad you like it. I suppose you're right, but it's a lot more fun for him to. Besides, he won't attack/defend against a human while he can with a ghost. Let me know if I go too far with it, though. I'll try not to.  
**SamManson14: **:D Thanks. I don't think I could have even if I'd wanted to. He was funny at first, but I big words and dramatic talking get tiring after a while ;)  
**DPcrazy: **lol. Yeah, it's fun when the heroes are afraid of something harmless to the rest of us. I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.  
**DP-shrine-in-closet-girl: **Yeah, I loved writing the ending. Thanks for your insight. It helped me figure a few things out with how I wanted things to play out.  
**OmniSayian: **Thanks! Dan...probably not. I'm not sure how I would be able to create him since Danny and Phantom are already pretty serperate. Vlad most definetly, though. He's too fun to leave out ;)  
**Thunderstorm 101: **lol. Glad you are :)  
**Hawky Phantom: **Glad it made you laugh ;D It made me too at first, but then I read it, like, ten times, so it's kinda lost its humor for me ;) ...You might be surprised about Phantom.  
**CrazyDentist-LuVeR: **Yeah. Kitty. lol. Yeah, he's fun :)  
**Ythena: **No need to wait any longer! Here it is! ;) lol. ...Hehe, whoops. Thanks for pointing that out to me. That mistake usually annoys me. To think I did that...bad Jodi! lol ;)  
**Wow! That was eleven! Thank you all so much!**

**I'm actually not sure how well you all will take this chapter. Paulina is in it and Phantom does something that I think you guys weren't expecting. Well, that and description. Gah, I hate it (the description, not the chapter). **

**Also, I go into detail of a cumulonimbus cloud (thunderstorm cloud), but I'm not positive I did it right. I was basing it on the movie my tv was showing at the time...Six Days and Seven Nights? Yeah. The problem is, I think they move in really fast and leave just as quickly. These clouds had been around since the day began. Heh, I wasn't sure how nimbostratus clouds look inside, so if you're cloud savvy, please just go along with it :)**

**And there's action! Well, more or less. I didn't realise how much I've wanted to write it till I couldn't stop writing it :D**

**Oh, warning for Paulina haters. She's in here and there's not really anything you can point to and say urgh, "what a mean girl" or "hah! you deserved that" or whatever. Sorry, but she seems kinda normal--well, normal as in kinda nice. I tried, though. You'll see why it didn't work out well.**

**Hope you all like this chapter as much as the others!**

**I don't own Danny Phantom (do I really need to keep on saying this? :( **

* * *

Chapter 12  
First Time

Phantom swiftly flew/leaped out of the water. The fish that had been chasing him rose a few feet out as well before falling back down while Phantom floated just out of reach. The ghost laughed heartily at the fish. It seemed to give him a dark look before swimming back down into the depths.

Phantom chuckled a little bit more before floating back to "his" fallen tree. He turned himself intangible and let the water fall away from him before he got there. He didn't want to get his cape unnecessarily wet if he could help it. It was spread out on top of the only branch sticking out of the water so if Phantom intended to sit down, he'd best be dry.

When he reached it, he reclined with a little help from levitation on the branch, hands hooked behind his head and one leg swinging leisurely beneath him as he looked up at the overcast sky. He breathed in the fresh air deeply and closed his eyes as he let it out. There was _definitely_ a difference between city air and park air. For one, there was more variety to it.

He opened his eyes again and turned his head in the direction he "felt" Danny. It technically hadn't been very long since Sam and his human had left, but Phantom still wished they'd hurry up. There was only so much he could do to entertain himself and still remain out of trouble. Heck, trouble found _him_ half the time! What did they want? A miracle?

How long did it take to get ice cream anyway?

And that was another thing. Just what _was_ ice cream? It said ice, but who would want to eat ice? And cream? Was that like milk or something? Why not just call it milk with ice and save yourself the confusion?

"Because humans are silly, that's why," Phantom told himself, rolling his eyes.

He suddenly heard some cawing and looked up. Strange birds with long necks flew in a haphazard "V" formation heading…southwards. He looked past them and at the clouds again.

Phantom's education on human world clouds was a little shaky since he'd never actually seen them before, but he understood the basics. Said basics being that they were made of water and had five main types: stratus, cumulus, cirrus, alto, and nimbus. Judging by how low these clouds were and how billowy they were, they were either nimbostratus or cumulonimbus. The difference between the two…that Phantom didn't know.

But he also didn't really care. All he _did_ care about was that they were blocking the sun.

The sun was the thing that fascinated him the most about the human world. The Ghost Zone didn't have anything like it. Its light source came from the soul-energies and _they_ didn't give off heat. Phantom had heard that the sun did, though, and he was really looking forward to seeing and feeling it since he was now out in the human world. It was _almost_ a dream come true.

The clouds were keeping him from seeing it on his first day out, though.

Phantom sighed sadly at the unfairness before sitting up straight. "Why _can't_ I see it?" he asked himself aloud in wonder.

He was in the human worlde and he was a ghost so—bound by gravity or not—he could _fly_! The clouds had to stop at some point and then he'd be able to see the sun…_above_ the clouds!

He grinned hugely at the clouds and grabbed his cape. He fastened it securely to him and took off, flying upwards at top speed.

He was halfway up when his rather intrusive human half spoke as if he was right beside him. Phantom's flight took an unplanned fall as gravity took advantage in his concentration lapse. Phantom quickly got control again and resumed his flight.

_You rang?_

_"Um, what are you doing?" _Danny asked hesitantly.

Phantom rolled his eyes. _Nosy much?_

_"Well, I, uh…" _Danny apparently was having trouble forming his thought. Now why would that be?

Phantom grinned up at the clouds. _Were you worried?_

There was a brief pause before Danny firmly said, "_No." _Phantom rolled his eyes again. "_I just didn't want you hurting anymore wildlife."_

Like there was any wildlife around him _now_. _Uh-huh. Well, I'm not hurting any wildlife._

_"…So what _are_ you doing?"_

Phantom snorted. _Gees. Do I need your permission or something?_

_"No I—"_

Phantom laughed. _Don't worry about it. I'm flying, if you must know._

_"Flying where?"_

_Up._

_"Stop being so difficult."_

Phantom chuckled at his "tone." _Touchy. Well, I'm flying up to the clouds. I want to see the sun._

There was another pause but this one was a lot longer. Finally, he heard Danny say seriously, _"What do you mean, Phantom?"_

The ghost frowned. What more was there to it? _Well the clouds are hiding the sun and I want to see it._

_"Phantom, clouds aren't fluffy cotton balls." _Phantom rolled his eyes. He knew that. _"They're dangerous."_

_I'll be fine. _Phantom finally reached the clouds and paused as he stared up at them. They weren't standing still like he'd originally thought.

_"You're practically alive remember?"_

In fact, they were moving pretty fast. And the wind…Phantom went intangible when he realized that it was pushing him. The clouds were very gray and he could already feel moisture coming off from them.

He looked down briefly and drew in a deep breath. He had no clue what the inside of a cloud was like, so it was best to be prepared, right? Best to make it quick. Get in, get out, and get the view of a lifetime. Sticking around would be a bad idea.

With one last deep breath, Phantom plunged into the billowing gray clouds. He felt—through his intangibility—misty rain falling through him for a brief moment before he broke through the layer of bottom cloud.

The first thing he thought as he continued to fly higher was that it wasn't so bad. It actually reminded him of the Ghost Zone in some ways. Given actual lighting and some swirling green energies and he'd feel almost at home. There were large "hills" of clouds inside "the cloud" that Phantom could just make out with his natural vision since it was very dark inside. Above, below, to the side, they were everywhere. They—like everything else—were a dark depressing gray color and were constantly moving too. It looked beautiful to him.

Then lightning started flashing between the "cloud hills" and he suddenly got a bad feeling.

He probably shouldn't have, but he stopped and looked around. The…clouds had suddenly changed from being peaceful and familiar looking to something more dangerous and well-known.

Phantom was familiar with static and electricity coming from clouds because the soul-energy clouds in the Ghost Zone had them all the time. Those hurt a lot and were continues in their movements, never stopping as they made their path across the visible green clouds. It usually gave ghosts pauses when they came up to them. With lightning jumping between the gray clouds right next to Phantom, he suddenly got that feeling he got when he mistakenly flew too close to the green clouds.

He looked up again. There was still more clouds above him and it didn't look like he was all that much closer to reaching the sun. He looked down. He was pretty far above the bottom level. He bit his lip in indecision.

He took a deep breath—absently noting that it wasn't very easy to breathe—and decided retreat would be best.

Before he could move a few centimeters, though, a bright flash appeared in the corner of his left eye. He gasped as something hissed next to his ear. He whirled to face it, but only caught a glimpse of blue light fading into the clouds. Another flash went off in the cloud billow just above him.

That was when Phantom belatedly remembered that ecto-signatures and human world lightning called to each other almost like opposing magnets. And intangible or not, wild lightning _hurt_ ghosts.

Phantom scowled and hit his forehead repeatedly. _Stupid, stupid, stupid! How can you have forgotten something as important as _that_, Phantom?! _

He needed to get out of there and _quick_.

Phantom quickly dived downwards, away from the center of the large cloud field and towards the open air below.

Still, he was a little too late.

Something hot went through his right ankle, searing supposedly intangible flesh. Phantom cried out in pain as that something took "hold" of him and began traveling up his body in hot, tingly waves. When it finally subsided—leaving small aftershocks clinging to the ghost—it left him unable to concentrate and on the bare edges of consciousness.

Gravity and the wind seemed to fight over his body for a moment before cold air slammed his back and he plummeted down. He shut his eyes tight as a dark gray fluffy mass approached his face.

He passed out before he entered it.

* * *

Phantom blinked his eyes open and was greeted by a welcoming much brighter world. Even if it looked funny with small dots above him growing bigger.

The ghost frowned in confusion and tried to raise his arm to his very painfully pounding head. He was only able to move it maybe a centimeter as it was stopped by some very forceful current. Phantom frowned some more and craned his head forward so he could get a better look.

Bad idea.

His whole body began being forced forward as well before it was forced back…and around. Phantom groaned as he began to do unappreciated twists and rolls in the air. His frazzled stomach protested unhappily and his headache got worse.

Following some instinct, he spread his arms and legs out spread eagle so his motions would stop and he fell horizontally. Yup. Falling. Thank you gravity.

Phantom then realized those "small" dots had gotten much bigger and were actually buildings.

He sighed and shook his head—real gentle like; he was still dizzy—at himself. _I can't believe this. Oh you'll be_ fine_, Phantom. What could little clouds do to_ you_, Phantom? You won't be gone_ long_, Phantom. You'll stay near the_ lake_, Phantom. You're_ pathetic_, Phantom._

He was about to wallow in some much needed self-pity when a high-pitched scream reached him via the air currents rushing past him. The ghost frowned and looked below himself.

About seven feet below him a girl was falling with her dark brown hair rising up above her in fascinating twists and her arms flailing wildly. Phantom fell past a building roof and surmised she'd fallen off.

He flinched as her screaming reached another octave. Phantoms rolled his eyes and—after a brief moment of indecision—took control of his fall by making gravity take a walk. He pulled his hood up more securely over his head and dived down to the terrified human girl.

He slowed down as he flew alongside her, cocking his head to the side for a moment before reaching out for her and pulling her against him. He brought the still screaming girl into the bridal position and gently stopped his dive and her fall.

Phantom rolled his eyes again as the girl continued to scream for a few more minutes. It was seriously starting to hurt his eardrums. But yelling at the girl to shut up wouldn't help matters any. He was a ghost in a ghost terrorized town and she was an obviously hysterical girl. Best case scenario for that situation would be for her to be quiet for a few seconds before struggling way from him and towards her "safety."

So, the ghost studied her as he continued to let her do as she pleased. Looking at her was another of his bad ideas for the day, though. His face started to heat up uncomfortably and he suddenly wanted very much to get away from her.

The girl he held was his own age and very pretty. She had lightly bronzed skin that highlighted her dark hair nicely. She wore a small pink belly-shirt that really accented her curves while her pants helped the hips show off and stopped just after her knees. She wore quite a bit of make-up, but she was apparently very good at it looked pretty natural.

Phantom shook his head to get rid of the unwanted blush. She _was_ pretty, but he'd seen and met prettier ghosts too and his experience with them was never the funnest. They were usually shallow status climbers and he'd long since learned to avoid them.

No. The problem was hormones, how close he was holding her, and body heat.

_Why_ was body heat suddenly attracting?!

Suddenly there was silence.

Phantom looked back at the human in his arms and felt his face heat up _again_ at the way she was staring at him in awe. Very uncomfortable. But at least his hood covered the blush.

Speaking of which.

He pulled his head back from her reaching hand as she tried to grab it. "Please don't," he said softly. Softly because one: he didn't want her to start freaking out and two: it was either that or let his voice quiver. Stupid hormones.

The girl looked a little disappointed but let her hand fall back down. "Why?" she asked, her English having a Spanish accent and her voice rather high on the pitch scale.

Phantom shrugged. "I like my privacy."

"No, I mean, why'd you save me?"

The ghost frowned. "Well, I couldn't just let you fall."

The confusion seemed to clear slightly. "Oh. So you're like a friendly ghost."

Phantom smiled warily. "Yeah, but it mostly depends on who you ask. There're a lot of ghosts who don't like me, for instance." He suddenly got a warm feeling in his chest and gasped. He and the girl watched in fascination as red mist left his mouth. "Well, that's new." (1) He noticed something on her bony finger then and frowned. Why was she wearing a _ghost_ ring? "What is that?" he demanded but not unkindly. "And where'd you get it?"

Tears suddenly filled her eyes and she threw her arms around Phantom's neck with a cry. The ghost made a choked sound as the heat in his face rose to an unbearable level. He was surprised the girl didn't feel the heat coming off it. He felt hot water seep through his cape and onto his shoulder. He winced slightly. Apparently she was crying. Great. Now what?

Going on a whim, Phantom pattered her back in what he hoped was comforting. "Hey…it's alright," he said awkwardly. "There's, uh, no need to cry."

The girl sniffled and raised her head from his shoulder so she could look him in the eyes. He pulled back a little, nervous about the proximity. "He's gone?" the girl asked hopefully.

Phantom frowned and tilted his head to the side. "He who?"

A fresh batch of tears burst from her eyes. "The ghost that tried to _kill me_!" she wailed loudly, causing Phantom to flinch. She hugged the ghost tightly again and rested her face on his shoulder.

Phantom groaned inwardly and slowly started to lower them towards the crowded streets that had yet to notice them. "Why'd he try to kill you?" he asked quietly, trying to get rid of the hysterics…even if they were what had finally stopped the blushing.

More snuffles from the girl but she didn't raise her head as she spoke. "Something about making me a ghost."

Phantom frowned again. "Why would he want to make you a ghost? There're tons of ghosts already in the Zone."

The girl seemed to take some offense at this as she looked at him and pouted. A cute pout. _Darn hormones!_

"He said I'd make a fabulous princess," the girl said with her nose raised slightly.

Phantom stopped their descent and his mouth fell open in recognition. "Aragon!"

"That's _Prince_ Aragon, ward!" a voice snarled behind them.

The girl screamed and Phantom whirled around. Many of the humans below looked up when they heard the girl and began screaming and running about too. Phantom focused more on the prince before him.

Aragon had his arms crossed and his pupils slit as he glared at Phantom, apparently not happy with his interference. He wasn't wearing his "princely" outfit, but he still wore his royal circlet of a crown and his dragon necklace. Phantom's eyes lingered on that necklace for a while since it was the most dangerous thing about the prince and it was glowing before moving on to his companions.

Behind him floated his favorite guards. Mr. Axe Wielder and Mr. Archer. They and Phantom weren't on friendly terms. They hadn't appreciated his jokes when he was younger and looked positively eager to get payback.

Phantom smirked at the prince. "'Ello, Aragon! You're looking as charming as ever. Did you do something new with your eyes?"

Aragon scowled at him. "Release my bride at once," he commanded.

The girl whimpered and gripped him tighter. Phantom shifted so she wasn't squishing his windpipe. "_Bride_? Isn't that what your ladies-in-waiting are for?"

"They are not worthy of me," Aragon said arrogantly. "One such as I deserves such a one that is in your arms. Now release her!"

The girl started wailing again.

Phantom grimaced. "Stop scaring her, would ya? I already have a headache, thanks." He sighed and shook his head as if he was chastising the prince. "And if I drop her, she'll die. That's kind of rude behavior considering you two are soon to be wed."

Aragon gritted his teeth. "For her to die is the _point_."

"Why?"

"I wish for my bride to be a halfa," Aragon declared.

Phantom gasped and looked at the girl his arms quickly. Luckily, she was too busy crying to have been paying attention. He scowled at Aragon. "Icksnay on the halfa-ay, Aragon," he hissed. "They're not to be mentioned around the living, remember?!"

Aragon snorted rudely. "The girl will be one soon enough, ward."

"Oh yeah? And how do you plan for that to happen? No one can predict the forming of a halfa, not even the time masters. Besides, a human can't be revived from a fall this high up."

"Ah," the prince said smugly, "that is where the Ring of Revival comes in. (2) For the time being, she will become a halfa if she dies."

"I thought you outlawed them in your kingdom."

"Which is why I will have the only one in the entire kingdom."

"Uh-huh. Why not just invite one back in? That's a lot more romantic…I think."

"Because I already outlawed them all and I'm not canceling my orders to allow them back in," the prince growled, becoming very impatient. "And I want one that I choose. I chose _that_ girl. Now _drop_ her so I can be on my way, whelp!"

The girl gasped and looked at Phantom with wide, frightened eyes. Phantom stared back at her for moment before glaring at the prince. "No."

Aragon's eyes bugged out…almost literally. "What do you mean 'no'?!"

"What more is there to say?" Phantom asked, smiling cockily at him. "It's n-o. Two simple letters put together to form a negative answer to your demand, Aragon."

His necklace began glowing more brightly and his teeth began getting sharper. "You will regret thisAGGH!" His tongue grew and split apart as it left his mouth. His neck became longer, raising his head in a very serpent like way.

The girl Phantom was holding gasped and dug her nails into his skin. Phantom was _outwardly_ unconcerned by all this, though. He smirked at the changing ghost before him. "Temper temper, Aragon. What would your mother say?"

The prince roared, finally changing fully into his black dragon shape. The girl screeched and nearly fainted. Phantom tightened his hold on her and backed up a few paces.

Dragon Aragon glared at his guards. "Stay out of this," he ordered. He glared fiercely at Phantom who stared unwaveringly back. "He is mine." He roared again and charged at the pair.

Once more, the girl screamed. Phantom rolled his eyes and dived towards the ground. "Don't worry," he told the girl as she began to cough hoarsely from her vocal abuse. "He's more interested in me than you at the moment. As soon as I set you down, I want you to take cover quickly." He looked at her gravely as she looked at him in shock. "Call the Fentons, I guess. They could be annoying in this, but they'll also distract him." The girl nodded slowly, looking dazed.

The crowd that had gathered below them began screaming and running away as Phantom and the dragon in pursuit neared the ground. The halfa skimmed the ground closely, barely a foot above it. Aragon continued the dive and tried to "capture" him in his mouth as he zeroed in. Phantom smirked over his shoulder at him and turned intangible, flying though the ground. He heard a crash just above him and laughed at the dragon's expense.

He resurfaced again next to the building they'd been floating next to. He knelt down behind a car and set the girl down. She wobbled a bit and clung to his shoulder for support. Phantom took the time to look through the car's glass. He winced a little at the carnage he saw. Aragon was tearing up paving and throwing the cars around as he searched for him, sometimes sticking his head underground as he shouted for Phantom to show his cowardly face. Put simply, he was making a mess.

Phantom turned intangible so the girl's hand fell away. He faced her again and said sternly, "Stay hidden. His two guards will be looking for you. I suggest either getting inside or under this car, or entering the building when the goons look away. I'll try to keep Aragon from coming back this way." He forced a little laugh. "Shouldn't be too hard. He has a temper problem."

The girl smiled a little too and stepped forward. Phantom quickly became invisible. The girl gasped and looked around wildly for him. Phantom shook his head and took flight, heading quickly towards Aragon.

The dragon had just cornered another human. This one being a small child. Aragon was demanding something to which the child shook his head violently at. The ghost dragon growled and sucked in breath.

Phantom's eyes narrowed and he flew in between the two. He quickly called up as strong a shield as he could. Luckily, it was stronger than he'd thought it would be as the blue fire crashed into it. Unluckily, it wasn't the right type. The fire ball ricocheted off the shield and into a truck, making it explode and the explosion knocking down a light pole which fell onto a traffic light wire.

Phantom winced.

_"Phantom…why are you…"_ Danny voice said in shock. (3)

_It was an accident! Not even my fault! _He glared up at the larger ghost."Don't you know you're only supposed to take on people three fourths your size, hothead?"

Aragon growled at him and lashed out with a claw. Phantom quickly scooped the kid into his arms and turned them both intangible so the hand fell harmlessly through them. He jumped into the air and became invisible as he flew away again. The kid cried in his arms as Aragon roared his frustration, shooting fire left and right.

_"Get out of there!"_ Danny yelled. _"Valerie's coming!"_

_Valerie as in Red—_

_"__Yes! That Valerie! Now get out of there!"_

_I _can't_. He wants to kill people, Danny! If I leave there'll be no one to distract him!_

Phantom dodged some flying rubble as he waited for Danny's reply. The kid began to hiccup between his sobs.

_"Alright. I'll be there in a sec."_

Phantom fell a little to the ground in surprise and the kid gasped, finally stopping his crying. _Are you _crazy_?! He'll kill you _and_ me. You hold my life with yours, too, Danny, or have you forgotten? You can't be as reckless as me!_

Danny didn't reply to that.

Phantom looked down at the kid and shook him gently to get his attention as he stopped above the car he'd told the girl to hide at. The boy looked up fearfully at him with watery eyes. A few more tears trickled down his cheeks and Phantom felt a pang of guilt—even though it wasn't _exactly_ his fault.

"Hey," he said gently as he landed on the ground. "It's okay. No ghost'll be hurting you today." He chuckled. "That dragon's all brawn and no brain. Meaning he looks big, but he's really stupid. He won't find ya here. I'm going to drop you off with a human girl hiding who's here." He looked inside the car. The girl sat huddled and shaking on the floor in the back seat. He looked back at the boy. "She' very scared. Aragon wants to turn her into a ghost and make her his bride. So she'll need you to be brave and protect her. You know, like a prince or knight." He winked at the boy and flew through the car.

The boy squeaked in surprise and the girl jerked at the noise. Phantom knelt between the seats opposite the girl and became visible. The girl gasped at his sudden arrival. Phantom ignored her and set the boy in between them. The boy looked at him hesitantly and Phantom smiled back before looking cautiously out the window. Aragon had his back to them at the moment so it seemed they were safe for the time being. Still, the fires he'd started weren't going away and more people could be in danger.

"There there," he heard a young voice whisper bravely behind him. "It's okay. We'll be safe here from that stupid dragon."

Phantom smiled at that. Maybe he was setting a bad example, but come on. That's something interesting to hear from a five year old. He breathed in deeply and turned back to the humans. "How long does it take for the Fentons and the Red Huntress to get here?" he asked.

They stared at him in surprise.

"Why do you want to know?" the girl asked. Then her face cleared. "Oh. You want to know so you can leave before they show up."

Phantom shook his head. "No. I need back-up." He looked warily out the window again. Aragon was still clueless to their "hideout."

"But…" the boy started, "they're ghost hunters and…you're a ghost…"

Phantom nodded. "Yes, but they'll focus more on tall, dark, and angry over there since he's the one destroying everything. It's when he's defeated that I'll need to get out of there."

"Can't _you_ just defeat him?" the girl asked.

Phantom smiled warily and shook his head. "I was foolish a little while ago. I went up to the clouds and got shot by lightning. I'm surprised I'm able to do as much as I am." That wasn't true, but he wasn't about to tell them the truth. He rubbed his neck inside his cape in embarassment. "I, uh, forgot lightning was so dangerous." He looked at them seriously again. "Anyway, how long?"

"The Fentons should be here in a few minutes," the boy spoke quietly. He pointed out the window. "And the Red Huntress is already here."

Phantom looked out the window again and sure enough, a red streak could be seen racing towards the big black dragon. Aragon looked up and got a face full of ecto-rays. He roared furiously and swiped at her with his tail. She screamed as she was sent crashing towards the ground. Her board quickly reversed course and flew beneath her so she landed safely on top.

Phantom took a deep breath. "Well, wish me luck with the temperamental ghost hunter," he told the humans. He jumped out of the car before they could respond and was flying towards the fighting pair.

* * *

**(1) Ghost sense. Well, he's got to have one, doesn't he? I couldn't make it a human sense. I mean, can you imagine how often _that_ would go off? As for the color, well, it can't be the same as Danny's. And Dan's was red so...  
(2) So I'm bad at coming up with names ;P  
(3) And we come full circle. I bet a lot of ya thought he did something like...stopped traffic by blowing up a semi truck. :P I almost did that. But I liked this better. **

**I could have gone longer, I know, but I want to know how I'm doing with the fighting and...other things. **

**So Phantom rescues instead of destroyes. What a surprise, huh :P Wonder how the media's seeing this? I'm open for suggestions, but I have an idea.**

**Thanks for reading. Hope you liked it! Leave a review.**


	15. Help

**I'm BACK! Miss me? ;) Hehe, sorry I was gone for so long. I don't have a good excuse, because, really, I was just being lazy. That happens every summer. I'm back in school now, so I can no longer sleep the day away or stay outside all day, though. School keeps me focused. Huh. Never would have guessed. At any rate, I'm a senior now so my updates won't be as often as they were before. Good news? Laptop! I got one! Granted it's the school's, but I'll be getting my own soon. Bad news? I barely get the time to get on and type the story. What's the point then?! Stupid silly teachers...**

**Thank you all so much for reviews! Believe it or not, they got me back into working on it, so thanks! Rereading those is a great way to get the writing juices flowing :D  
Hyperpegasi: **It's a word and i like! Sorry I made you wait so long.  
**Random Reviewer: **No worries. I'm still going.  
**comando: **hehe. Blowing up a building would've been fun. Maybe later when he's fighting a different ghost. Glad this way works alright for you too.  
**hurlebibi: T**hanks! I like it when they're together, too. That's awsome! That was from when they were in the park, right? That's cool :)  
**Hawky Phantom: **Glad you liked it! I'm not usually very good with action. You did that and you didn't tell me? I wanna seeeee! I can picture scenes in my head, but I can't draw worth crap. Seriously, stick figures look better than mine ;) so yeah, I'd love to see your drawings. Sorry I made you wait so long.  
**Pixie dust of doom: **lol Yeah, I forgot :P hehe  
**Ythena: **lol. I'll try that! That's true, he's pretty useless right now. But, Danny likes to rush in even when things look bad. Well, he did when he was familiar with ghosts. MB and PP don't count. He's familiar with them here, so he's going to try to help out a lot, getting in the way and making Phantom frustrated :P Poor Danny. I considered doing that, but I then I came up with how to have my second story, so no Tucker. _This_ time ;)  
**Thunderstorm101: **I had planned to do that, use Danny as peacemaker, but it didn't work out like that. I'm not sure which I like better, but this one'll have to do. I'm sick of this chapter!  
**DPcrazy: **lol cool. I had a lot of fun with that scene. I'd gotten really into it and I think it was my best action yet. But I couldn't carrry it over to this. Only the beginning. Then things slowed down to a crawl, and...yeah.  
**CrazyDentist-LuVeR: **Hehe, yeah, evil fishy! I wont to bring it randomly back in the story sometime. Maybe not this one, but the next one or something. (Fact: I have a grudge against a fish. They're not all nice you know. It bit my foot! The jerk!)  
**Shadow1248: **Yeah, can't deny that. But he's new to the place, so it's alright that he acts like an idiot...for now. That's cool, with Paulina. I'm confused on how to do her. I don't want to bash her, but I don't want to make her nice. Urgh, so confusing. Whoops. Kept you waiting a long time -_` Sorry.  
**thepenultimatefailure: **Wow. Three reviews. Granted, they're for different chapters, but that's still cool. I'm not sure of my characterization now. I think I kind of made them OOC. I'll fix it along the way. Yeah, I'm thinking of maybe there being a reason why the portals went out of control. For a while there, I was wondering if you were going to review each chapter. I hope you stopped because you couldn't and not because you lost interest :)  
**OmniSayian: **Troubles his middle name! ... Or I can make it his! Muhhahaha!  
**Shadeglow: **Freakshow could make this more interesting. But, like Dan, I'm not too sure how I'd do that. We'll see.  
**: **I updated! Yay. Glad you think so. I adressed your question a little in this story, I think. :)  
**dannyluvr95: **lol :D Wow. You like it a lot! Here's the next chapter.  
**Thank you all again!**

**'Kay, a few things first. Three different POV's...and maybe a fourth. Depends on how you see it.  
I'm not really satisfied with the middle. I thought there would be more action, but Aragon's not that hard to defeat actually, not when he's so mad he can't see straight. I'm a little upset with myself about that. It's more chase than fight. And talk. More talking than should be allowed. Shoot, now I'm doubting the chapter. Just read it and let me know. I'm too harsh or too kind a critic for myself. You know how the saying goes ;) There's a little bit of VxDp but not much. About as much as PxDp last chapter. Hormones gotta love 'em :P**

**I only own this plot. Not the show. Shows not mine. I don't own the show. :)**

* * *

Chapter 13  
Help

Valerie grunted as she landed harshly back on her jet board. She groaned but quickly got back up to her feet and sent her board up and away from the dragon ghost's snapping jaws, missing by only an inch. She brought out her ecto-bazooka, took careful but quick aim, and fired at the ghost's eyes. It was a solid hit. The ghost screeched in pain, sending fire shooting everywhere as it cried out.

Valerie smirked grimly at its pain. Served it right for attacking a child! She gasped, however, when a fireball was thrown above her head. It collided with the building behind her, causing the glass on the windows to explode and rain down on her. She growled to herself and flew quickly away from the wreckage, some of the glass cutting through her suit and grazing her skin.

A large scaly and clawed hand suddenly slammed into her and forced her off her sled and onto the ground. The ghost hunter gasped for air as the hand continued to push down, knocking the rest of her breath out of her and almost breaking some ribs. Valerie forced her eyes open and stared up at the dragon ghost defiantly. It glared down at her angrily with the eye she'd shot closed tightly, a small amount of green blood oozing from it.

"Foolish, girl," it growled hatefully. "You should not have interfered!" It opened its mouth, bringing its rows of razor sharp teeth closer to her.

Valerie's eyes widened in sudden fear and she began struggling wildly under the hand.

Cold breath intruded through her helmet and touched her ear. She turned her head to face it quickly. An outline of a boy's face hidden underneath a hood could be seen thanks to her helmet's ability to cancel out ghosts' invisibility. The boy's head was sticking out of the ground, but he didn't seem bothered by it or the fact that he was three inches away from a girl who wanted to tear that smirk the ghost teen was wearing off his face.

"Need some help?" he asked cheerfully.

She glared at him and was about to snap back that she didn't need nor want _his_ help when a wave of stinky breath hit her face, reminding her that there was another ghost and this one intended to _eat_ her. She faced the larger threat again and began trying to pull the arm wearing her wrist ray out from under the large hand.

She wasn't trying for long, though, because she abruptly felt two cold hands clamped over her shoulders. She gasped as the cold feeling quickly spread throughout her whole body. The next thing she knew, she was falling through the ground. She temporarily started to panic as she somehow saw gravel and dirt racing _through_ and _around_ her, but calmed herself down. Panicking during a ghost fight was a terrible idea, especially since ghosts fed off of negative human emotions.

Then, to her intense relief, she once again rose above the earth…about a block away from the dragon. That didn't matter of course, because the ghost _took up_ the whole block. It lifted up its hand that had been holding Valerie hostage and looked at the place where she'd been trapped in surprise.

"You should have seen your face!" an echoing voice said quietly in mirth. Valerie heard the voice laugh beside her and turned to face it quickly, recognizing it as a ghost's voice by the way it echoed. She squatted down in an offensive stance and brought the arm with the wrist ray up, ready to fire.

She froze, though, when she saw who her—dare she think it—rescuer was. Now that he was no longer invisible, she could make out his eerily glowing green eyes and black hood and cape. Just seeing him again with his hood hiding half his face and his eyes shining ominously through its shadow was enough to make the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

Her so-called rescuer was none other than the one that had turned Danny against them.

"_You_!" she shouted.

The dragon heard and snapped its head in their direction. Its eyes glanced over Valerie and stopped on the ghost standing beside her. The glowing orbs glared hatefully at the teen ghost. "_You_!" it roared.

The ghost laughed again and bowed mockingly. "_Me_," he said proudly. He straightened back up and slammed his foot down on the ground. Before Valerie could react, her jet sled lifted off the ground where it had been resting and into the ghost's waiting hands. "Try to keep up," he said with a wink before tossing the board to the stunned huntress.

Valerie gasped and hurriedly caught it, belatedly realizing that in doing so she removed her only weapon from her enemy. Said enemy quickly jumped into the air and continued flying towards the ever darkening clouds at what Valerie guessed was his top speed. She growled before activating her board and shooting off after him.

She pulled her wrist ray up again and was about to shoot at him when she heard a whoosh and a roar behind her. She quickly looked over her shoulder and groaned. The black ghost dragon had taken to the sky and was gaining very quickly on her. She cursed softly and pushed her board to move faster.

The ghost above her looked over his shoulder at her and their pursuer. Valerie wasn't sure, but she believed that she saw him roll his eyes. Probably in annoyance that he couldn't continue his ghost fight with the dragon now that Valerie had entered the fray. Not that she really cared about his precious ghost reputation. If they were determined to hack each other to ribbons, they could do that in their creepy ghost world and far away from Amity!

…Or the humanoid ghost could take his adversaries high up into the skies so their fight wouldn't be too destructive for the humans.

Valerie frowned in confusion before shaking her head of that thought. There was _no_ way that a _ghost_ had given up its advantage of cramped spaces over its larger adversary just to protect the city. There was just no way. It was a contradiction in and of itself. All hell would freeze over first!

Valerie growled and brought her gun back up and aimed at the ghost boy, pushing her confusing thoughts away for disposal later.

The ghost seemed to sigh at her actions before disappearing again. Valerie cursed and quickly tuned her helmet on to pick up the ghosts signature so she could counteract his most useful ability.

The helmet was designed to detect the static radiating off the ghosts body whenever the ghost used its ecto-signature in anyway. The static remained close to the ghost's body, creating a fuzzy outline of their body, canceling their invisibility advantage and making it possible for the hunter to keep track of movements.

The problem with it was that it would shut off automatically when overloaded with the ghostly static, usually when the ghost came within three feet of the hunter or released a large amount of static. The hunter would then have to reactivate it manually. It took time and cost the hunter precious seconds in the battle. But it couldn't be helped. Valerie should have reactivated it as soon as the ghost boy had gotten out of range but…she forgot.

She swore at having made a deadly mistake. She'd been drilled on this!

The enhanced visor came on soon enough without any interference from the ghost. Valerie smirked and searched for the fuzzy green static that would give the cocky ghost away.

Funny…he wasn't anywhere.

Valerie frowned, feeling the edges of panic creeping in as she looked wildly around. The dragon was quickly approaching and she was as good as a sitting duck for it since she knew she wasn't as fast as him. If she make a plan soon, it wouldn't matter where or when the ghost boy attacked.

Cold hands suddenly grasped her shoulders and spread the cold throughout her body again, causing the huntress to gasp. A roar of frustrated anger reached her, but a softer and much, _much_ closer voice had her complete attention. She cursed herself for letting the ghost get so close.

"Alright, you trigger happy huntress," the teen ghost whispered harshly into her ear, "what say you take your twitching finger off the trigger just for a _few_ seconds and listen to this little voice of reason, eh?"(1)

Valerie scowled. Close enough to kill her or not, she was not about to let him get away with being disrespectful to her. "Oh yeah? And why should I do that, ghost?" she hissed.

The ghost sighed. "Because, _human_," Valerie growled at his condescending tone, "Aragon is a very powerful ghost. He's among the top ten in the ghost zone and even has his own little 'kingdom'. Defeating him will take more than just one of us alone."

Valerie snorted. "I can take him by myself. I don't need some ghost scum like you to help me."

She felt the ghost's hands tighten on her shoulders, causing her to wince slightly. "Is that so?" the ghost growled. "'Cause you didn't seem to be doing so well before. In fact, I believe you were about to get eaten before I stepped in. But then again, new scenery, new scenario. Maybe I should just remove my invisibility from you right now and stand back and watch Aragon finish what he started."

Valerie was about to snap back at the arrogant ghost to do just that when the dragon ghost's head suddenly appeared so close to her she could have reached out and touched it. Her breath caught as its yellow and slit pupil eye focused on their position. This close up, the dragon seemed impossibly big, its eye alone being the size of Valerie's upper body. The said eye blinked slowly and the dragon sluggishly opened it mouth, revealing very sharp teeth the size of Valerie's arms. Its tongue came out as if it were a large snake, tasting the wind to try to find its prey.

Valerie heart began beating wildly in her chest as she felt fear overtake her. She instinctively pressed herself against the cold chest behind her, seeking some form of protection from the unnatural predator. Never had she felt so scared in her life.

* * *

Phantom's breath hitched as the huntress girl pressed herself against him, seemingly seeking protection. He automatically tensed, feeling mixed emotions at the action. On one hand, he wanted to push the prejudiced jerk away; but on the other, more instinctive reaction, he felt a need to comfort her. She certainly didn't need that.

Phantom sighed, looking up at the clouds helplessly. _Note to self: stay away from non crazy human females; they confuse your emotions. Even with an accomplished hunter. What is _wrong_ with me?_

Compromising with both emotions, he whispered quietly into her ear, "You're a ghost hunter and I'm a ghost. You don't trust me, and I trust you even less. There's definitely no love lost between us." Valerie snorted at the understatement and quickly pulled away from the intimate position as if she'd been burnt. Phantom rolled his eyes. "_But_ we have the same enemy, and a very strong one at that. We should be able to put aside our differences just for a little bit, right? We both have things to lose if we fail." _Even though they are pretty similar…_

Valerie looked at him over her shoulder, considering him for a while. Finally, she nodded, not looking happy about it, but resigned to the fact that they had to work together. Phantom fought down a smirk; he didn't want her to change her mind suddenly.

"Good. My plan is that you distract him—" Phantom began.

"Why do _I_ distract him? Why can't _you_?" Valerie demanded suspiciously.

Phantom growled in frustration. "Fine! _I'll_ distract him! Stupid paranoid hunter…" he mumbled the end quietly to himself. Valerie heard, though, and Phantom felt her glare at him. He glared back for a moment then pointed at Aragon. He was still up in the air and shooting fire left and right, trying to hit his invisible "prey". "Do you see his necklace?" Valerie followed his finger and nodded. "That's where his power comes from. While I distract him, you swoop in and pull it off of him. He'll revert back to his humanoid form and be relatively powerless."

"That sounds awfully simple," Valerie commented. "Why can't I just do that myself, now that I have my information? Better yet, why can't you?"

"You can't without me because Aragon will never let you get close enough without a proper distraction and I can't because…well, I'm not at my strongest right now and if he catches me, I'm done for." Phantom ran a hand through his hair. "Call me paranoid, but I don't feel comfortable doing this by myself, even if it means teaming up with a _hunter_."

"I'm not too happy working with a _ghost_ either, boy," Valerie snarled at him.

Phantom forced a cheeky smile. "My name is Phantom, not 'boy', _Valerie_." He felt her stiffen beneath his hands and quickly took off before she could yell at him.

_Alright, Phantom, _he thought to himself as he flew towards Aragon. _You can do this. Just keep him focused on you without losing your half-life existence. _With one last deep breath, Phantom reappeared to visibility in front of Aragon.

Aragon's slit eyes narrowed as they zeroed in on him. They glowed brighter and the prince roared his fury.

Despite himself, Phantom couldn't help flinching slightly. _This is what my big mouth gets me. Huh, I should have listened more to Clockwork._

Phantom frowned at the dragon as it quieted down. He stuck a finger in his ear and twisted it around. "Eh? Is that the only noise you can make, Aragon? Very bestial for a prince."_ …Alright, that was a little weak…_

Aragon growled angrily before flying/charging at Phantom. _But it worked!_

Phantom's instincts told him to turn invisible and intangible, but in order to make a good distraction he needed to stay visible and just out of reach.

He copied Aragon's action, flying towards the dragon as if he was going to meet him head on. At the last minute, he changed his course slightly so he flew over Aragon, narrowly missing his snapping jaws by corkscrewing.

Phantom flew backwards on his back, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted, "Toro! Toro!" to the dragon's back.

Aragon roared and turned on his wingtip. He charged towards Phantom again without having to stop and slow his momentum. Phantom licked his lips anxiously before flying up towards the clouds, Aragon flying close behind like a loyal dog. Phantom looked for Valerie, but couldn't find her. He bit his lip, but pushed aside his worry. He needed to focus.

Phantom suddenly let gravity take him and fell towards the ground, passing a startled Aragon—who still attempted to eat him—as he fell towards the ground. He took control of it again and flew to his left, Aragon close on his heels. Phantom had a funny image of a dog chasing a hare for a moment as he dived to the right to avoid Aragon's jaws.

_So where's the human who calls _off_ the dog? _he though in aggravation as he led Aragon around in a circle. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. _Why'd I have to go and put my faith in a human hunter? A girl one at that! (2)_

* * *

Danny leaned against a building as he fought to regain his breath before meeting up with his parents. He had run all the way from the park, only stopping every once and a while for a quick break. Luckily, the site where the dragon had attacked wasn't so far way, but Danny was still winded and winded and winded was not a good choice to be when he was about to meet his parents.

His mom would probably tell him to leave because it was so dangerous and his dad might try to involve him in the fight, in which case Danny might have to fight Phantom, something he didn't exactly want to do. But he could no longer see the ghosts and Valerie, so the only way to know how things were going was to ask his parents.

With one last breath, Danny squared his shoulders and jogged the rest of the way to the Fenton Family Assault Vehicle. Currently, his mom was inside and most likely watching the battle through the cam on Valerie's helmet and his dad was outside, keeping "guard" in case the ghosts came back down within range.

Danny dodged around his dad and jumped right into the FFAV. He crawled onto the driver's seat and looked at the back. He was right; his mom had a fuzzy image of a black blurry dragon on the screen that was chasing a black blurry humanoid with two glowing green spots.

Danny's gasped softly and inched closer. _"Phantom? Are you—"_

_"What the hell, Danny?!"_ Phantom interrupted. _"I'm trying to stay alive here…well, half alive…Anyway, don't distract me! Playing distraction is hard enough as it is."_

_Distraction?_ Danny wondered. Only one way to find out. "Mom?"

Maddie jolted away from the screen, surprised by his sudden appearance She frowned at him. "What are you doing here, Danny? It's dangerous."

Danny cocked his head to the side. "The ghosts are gone right now…and besides, the Red Huntress is taking care of the dra—er, them, right?"

Maddie looked back at the screen. "Sort of. She's in a compromising situation right now. One of the ghosts offered to help her with the other, and she had no choice but to agree. We don't like it, but it's necessary in this situation. Right now, the boy ghost is distracting the dragon in order to let Red get close enough to remove the dragon's power source. But they're moving too much and too fast for Red to do so. We're hoping the ghost boy will realize this soon, before he becomes too weak to be of any assistance."

Danny frowned. "How long has it been?"

"About five minutes."

Danny nodded. _"Miscommunication. Maybe I… "Phantom!"_

_"Danny, what did I _just_ tell you?" _He sounded really annoyed.

_"Don't get huffy! Valerie says that you need to hold the dragon still. She can't keep up with you."_

There was a surprised pause. Then, _"You talked to her?!"_

_"No! She talked to my mom through her headset thing and my mom told me."_

_"Mom's at that Nasty Burger place?"_

_"Not your mom, _my_ mom! And no. We're at Maplewood Road. That place where you and the dragon duked it out."_

_"…I told you to stay away, Danny."_

_"I couldn't just sit on the sidelines while you fought to save everyone!"_

_"Oh yes you could have! If I die, you still live; if you die, I die! You're endangering us both! What don't you get about that?_

_"I've lived for two years without you having to yell at me to stay safe."_

_"__You did almost die, Danny! Don't you remember?! We would have died if—"_ the thought screeched to a halt.

Danny jerked, falling back into the seat. He ignored his mom's startled look and frowned deeper at the screen. _"What were you—"_

_"…__Forget about it. I'm busy at the moment."_

_"But…"_

_"_Later_. Now I need to slow down, right?_

Danny sighed. _"Yes. That or just stop completely. You're making too many twists and turns; her sled can't keep up with that."_

_"Being difficult to catch is kinda the point here, Danny, or can you not see me running for my half-life?"_

_"Hey, I'm just repeating the info."_

Something that sounded suspiciously like a snort came through the "link" followed by a mumbled "_Humans."_ And then the black big blur overtook the smaller one with green lights on the screens.

Danny let out a surprised yelp as pain shot through his right arm. He looked at it quickly.

"Danny?" Maddie asked, her eyes still on the screen. She was watching intently as the black/green humanoid blur wobbled unstably in the air, away from the now-humanoid black/purple blur and the location of the camera. "Danny? Is something wrong? Danny?"

Maddie looked up from the monitor and frowned slightly when she didn't see her son. _He must have gotten bored and left…_

_"Maddie?"_ Valerie said through her radio. _"What should I do with the ghost teen? He looks injured."_

Maddie turned back to the screen and studied the black/green blur as it started to warily float away from Valerie. "…Do you think you could catch it?"

_"Negative. My jet's fuel tank is low. '_Phantom'_ probably planned it that way so that I wouldn't be able to capture him."_

"Wouldn't surprise me a bit." Maddie began packing her equipment away, making room for the dragon ghost. "Alright, Red, give our 'friend' the usual warning and bring the dragon ghost down to Maplewood Road. We should be ready for him by then."

_"Roger."_

Maddie nodded and took off the headset. She crawled over the driver's seat and out the door.

She didn't notice a small blood trail leading away from the the RV.

* * *

**Hmm. Is that a cliffhanger? **

**(1) I know this may sound mean, coming from Danny Phantom, but this is _Phantom_. He personally doesn't know Valerie like Danny and she's already tried to kill him. And this time without a good excuse ("You ghosts ruined my life!) So forgive Phantom for holding a grudge ;)  
(2) Hehe, that's a little sexist. Girls have been giving him a lot of trouble though. However, do you want him to be a little sexist? Just a little, mind. I hate sexist people, but I find it funny when a/the hero is and constantly gets it shoved in his/her face. ...^_^ And that's a little sadistic.**

**Well, that's it. Almost three months of waiting and it's not that long. But I still hope you liked it. More to come! I will not give up! No! I don't care how distracted I become! ... Okay maybe a little distraction. This _is_ my senior year. I shouldn't take three months for the next chapter, though. God, what was wrong with me.**

**Next chapter we'll see what happened to Danny and hear what Valerie and Phantom have to say to each other. Also...wait, that's too much info. Never mind.**

**Oh, and thanks for all the favorites and alerts. Yeah, their not as great as the reviews, but I still appreciate them. They let me know you care! (I know I'm sounding funny, but I'm tired. I'm not used to school. I act hyper when tired)**

**Thanks for reading! Review please! **


	16. Helpless

**Ello all! Alright, this took longer than usual--excluding my three month break--but I have reasons. For one, this one, well it wasn't _difficult_ to write, it's just that I had trouble remembering what I had planned to happen and filling in things that are new that I'm unsure sound alright. Also my life's been a bit difficult. School was fine, the problem was my family and it involved a hosital, the awful "C" word, and my grampa. So this chapter may seem a bit more dark. A bit. I'm not good with my feelings so they tend to come through me unconciously. I fixed it up so there wasn't as much, but it's still not as "cheerful" as usual.**

**Yay! Reviews! I haven't lost my fans!  
Hyperpegasi: **lol XD You were that excited? That's pretty cool--not that you almost got hurt, but that you were so happy :D Yeah, bad, evil womankind. We are so mean and evil! lol But yeah, it'll get better, like in this chapter. I feel _horrible_ for doing this to him! I start to make it up to him at the end of this chapter. Valerie's a fun character, and even though she's biased, it seems to make her even more fun. Don't know why...Well, I hope you haven't gone crazy yet ;)  
**Kirby77DP77: **lol. I love being hyper.  
**OmniSayian: **Ah, don't say that! I feel terrible already! It's part of the story, though. The climax will involve him just letting it all go. It will start to get better for him, though. Promise. Give it, oh, three or so chapters. And I will give him some breaks. I need to make it up to him (well, my concious, since he's not real, but, yeah...)  
**Shadeglow: **Nope. Not discontinued. I'd never do that. At least, not for a long time. Like two years into college. Maybe. I still have more stories after this one. I'll explain Danny down at the bottom.  
**CrazyDentist-LuVeR:** What?! Me? Dead?! No, never! lol XD  
**Kiomori: **Yeah. I want to be homeschooled like my older brother, but noooo. Mom wants me to get the best education I can, especially since we moved from practically the middle of nowhere (coughMichigancough). Ah well. At least I know she cares a lot ;) hehe, yeah, I'm so mean to Phantom. He'll be fine, but he is badly hurt, and he doesn't really help it along.  
**Preemtive Karma:** lol thanks :)  
**Waterdog: **Yeah, I agree. Maybe this way Phantom will stop being so upset with his human half. After all, their playing field has been leveled more ;) I liked the tests too. They were fun to write and reread. I may do more later, like occasonal randomness that they do during their free time. Great, now I'm planning....I guess I do alright with the action. You all say I do, and rereading it, I can kinda see it too. I just have self-concious problems sometimes. Thanks for the compliment :)  
**DPcrazy:** Yeah, that's exactly what I did. I procrastinate a _lot_. It's a surprise I even get my homework done ('cause I usually delay until it's the next day and I'm working on it while I wait for the bus or right before class :P) That's what my three day restriction was for. Giving myself an early deadline usually helps. Summer threw it all off...Phantom's and Valerie's interaction is fun, but I have trouble not pushing it too much too early. I'm glad that turned out good, though, this ones a bit iffy.  
**short stuff x3: **:D Glad you love it! lol. Sorry it's a bit late. At least it's not three months, though ;)  
**hawkflyer667: **XD Here ya go! Late, but still going. lol. I had a lot o fun with that scene ;)  
**dannylurvr95: **huh, I started 8/12. That's a strange coincidence. lol. You really luv it huh? lol. I'm glad to hear you do :D Good luck with your fanfic.  
**Hawky Phantom: **I think I could have put more action and less talking into it, but I'm a mean critic for myself. I'll go with your opinion. I like it better than mine ;) I like your drawings, too :D Better than I can do. I cannot draw people! It's not fair! Thanks for sending them to me :)  
**Thank you all for reviewing :) I hope this one was worth the wait. It's definetly longer, but I think I strected reality a little too much. Let me know :D**

**Kay! Jazz comes into this chapter. Yay! I like her a lot. She reminds me a little of me 'cause I'm a brainy person, and my sister--who's a mother now, so cool! But don't you dare call me aunt Jodi! It makes me feel old. I don't wanna feel old, I'm young darn it!--because she's like a second mother figure and was protective of us all growing up. Kinda funny, 'cause she's the only older than two of us--me and my little brother.  
****But anyway, Jazz will play a big role in my stories because she's one of my favorites. I have a lot, I know, but I really like her. It just wouldn't be right without her.**

**I'll explain Danny at the bottom. I don't see a reason to keep it a secret.**

**Note: In case you like to skip all that blathering, I said this ones a bit more dark. I tried to fix it up a bit, but I'm not sure how well I did. Kinda can see that in the title, huh? That is all. Carry one ;)**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

Chapter 13  
Helpless

Danny slid down an alley wall, clutching his bleeding right arm tightly to himself. He looked down at it hesitantly, removing his protective left arm in order to see the damage. He grimaced at the sight and quickly returned his arms to their previous positions. It probably wasn't as bad as it looked—it certainly didn't hurt as bad as it appeared—but then again, it looked pretty bad.

Danny knew he had to get home to take care of it, but he'd just run halfway there and was in desperate need of a brake. He wasn't used to running this often for Pete's sake! Not to mention running was probably making things worse since by running, he was causing his heart to beat faster and making him lose his blood at a quicker rate. And yet…

Danny looked back down at his mysterious injury. He wasn't sure where or how he had gotten it, but he had a suspicion that it was related to Phantom somehow, so he chose not to worry _too_ much about that. What his slightly shocked brain was wondering about was why it wasn't hurting as much as it had at first. His chest was hurting more, actually.

His multicolored blood hid most of the wound from view, making it difficult for him to get a good look at it. But he was guessing it was pretty bad. He almost wished he'd stayed with his parents so they could fix him up…but if he did that it'd raise questions. Questions like how he got it and why was there ectoplasm in his system.

He wouldn't have been able to answer them anyway. Mostly because he didn't really know himself, but also because he'd be betraying Phantom's trust. He couldn't make Phantom doubt him more, especially since his mentor's betrayal was still so raw. Danny barely had his trust; he didn't want to let him down. He had a feeling it'd be hard to win back, even if Phantom thought of him as his human half.

Danny heaved in one last breath then got to his feet. He leaned against the wall for support for a moment before pushing back. He gingerly took of his shirt, being extra careful with his injured arm. Once his shirt was off, he wrapped it tightly around his wounded arm, adding as much pressure to it as he could.

When he finished, he looked at his improvised bandage and winced. Some of his blood had begun to seep through the white shirt and he was sure it'd stain. It was all he had, however. It'd have to do.

Danny took a calming breath before power walking the rest of the way to Fenton works.

He just hoped Jazz was home.

* * *

Phantom shifted uneasily in the air as the Red Huntress finished immobilizing Aragon. She was basically shocking him with some sort of laser-like thing until he was exhausted and then binding him with green glowing rope. Ecto rope, he supposed.

Phantom personally felt it was a little crude, but he wasn't going to say anything. He was more wary of Valerie now that they no longer had a common goal. He wasn't naïve enough to think that just because he had helped her, she wouldn't try to capture him too. He wouldn't put it past a ghost hunter. They were sometimes more inhumane than the so-called evil ghosts they hunted.

He was having inner conflict over "rescuing" Aragon or not because of this. If it'd been Dora, Cujo, or even the _Box Ghost_, he would have. But Aragon was never his favorite ghost and as long as he was released back into the Zone at some point, Phantom felt he needed to be humbled a little bit, especially after all he'd put his fellow halfas through.

The problem was he wasn't sure what his parents _would_ put him through. He had seen them dissect a ghost before and it didn't look like a nice process for the ghost. Ghosts that had been caught by them either came back relatively unharmed, scared for life, or not at all.

Phantom had little doubt that his parents would want to dissect Aragon since he was able to transform into a dragon and they were probably foaming at the mouth to investigate this. And this bothered Phantom. Just a little. He didn't like the thought that a ghost he'd known—albeit didn't like—would be put through inhumane and unnecessary torture and by his own parents no less. They didn't _need_ to dissect him to find out his secrets. It was all in the necklace. A human could even become a dragon with enough raw emotion and that around their neck.

At any rate, Phantom couldn't do anything about it.

In order to give Valerie her opportunity to power Aragon down, Phantom had had to let himself get hurt. He'd just planned for a small cut, nothing too serious. But Aragon had always had his unpredictable moments and instead of a small wound, Phantom had received a rather large gash on his forearm. It wasn't really long, but it was deep, hurt like hell, and was bleeding freely.

Phantom had his left hand over it, trying to keep the mismatched blood from sight as well as to keep as much of it in as possible. He had a feeling that excessive bleeding was a no-no in his particular situation. But despite his best efforts, the green and red blood was seeping through his fingers. The only reason Valerie hadn't noticed was because she was too busy with Aragon.

Phantom licked his lips nervously before pulling his cape in front of him. He wrapped it carefully around his arm then hugged his arm close to his chest. The last thing he needed was Valerie and his parents to get the idea to dissect him too. Not that they probably didn't already, but just in case. Let's not give them any ideas.

The huntress tightened the ecto ropes one last time and draped Aragon's limp form across her board. She stood up and faced Phantom, her hands on her hips. Phantom frowned slightly as she continued to stare at him. He wasn't bleeding from the cape or anything, was he? Probably not. His cape was black after all.

He fidgeted again. "Well, uh, I guess I'll just be going." He gave another bold grin and turned to speed off as fast as he could.

"You do that, and don't come back," Valerie finally said, her voice cold and authorative.

Phantom stopped, his back going ridged. "What?"

"We appreciate your help, but your kind is not welcome here. Go back to the Ghost Zone where you belong and don't come back."

Phantom spun around, his eyes flashing and shining, a low growl in his throat. "And who are _you_ to tell me where I belong or not?" he demanded.

Valerie straightened as well, fists clenched as she dropped them from her hips. "I'm the Red Huntress, protector of Amity Park and the surrounding towns. If I say you're not welcome here, then you're not welcome here, and therefore, don't belong here. Ghosts such as you belong in the Ghost Zone not _our_ world!"

Phantom scowled at her, his growl growing louder. "You sound almost like a ghost yourself, _Valerie_," he spat. "Defending your territory and title like that. What? Are you afraid some ghost is going to challenge you or something?"

"I am _not_ acting like a _ghost_!" Valerie shouted. "I'm not defending my _territory_ I'm defending my _home_, something you wouldn't know anything about!"

"A ghost's territory _is_ its home! You're defending your territory and your place as its protector."

"It's not the same thing! I _live_ here."

"And ghosts 'live' in their territory! Whether you call it your home or your territory makes no difference! You're forcing those you don't trust away from it before they get a chance to make it their home too!"

"It's my 'territory'. I defend it. Is there something wrong with that?" she demanded, lifting her chin.

"That depends," Phantom replied regaining some control. "Do you defend your territory—home, whatever—to keep it safe or do you do so because of your hatred for ghosts?"

Valerie looked a little stunned for a moment before raising her ecto-gun and shooting at him without warning. Phantom barely managed to dodge to the left. The battle and his wound had taken its toll and he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to fight her for long if it came to that.

He wasn't, however, going to let her get off with talking to him like that. He wasn't sure why he was so mad at her for telling him where he belonged and where he didn't, but he had a vague idea it had to do with his current homeless status.

Oh sure, Danny _had_ said he could stay with him, but he didn't feel like he was…wanted, exactly. His and Danny's relationship was improving, but there was still this big gap between them, and as long as it was there, Phantom didn't feel like he…well, belonged. There was only so much pain being with his human half could take away from the essential cast out and unwanted feeling. After all, it wasn't like Danny actually accepted him. Not really...

"I'll take that as denial, Valerie," Phantom taunted with a smirk. He didn't want to dwell on those thoughts and the huntress would create a good distraction as long as he kept her from questioning his belonging. "Are you that sensitive about it?"

"Shut up!" Valerie shouted, shooting and missing again. "You don't know anything _about_ me!"

"And _you_ don't know anything about _me_." Phantom shot back, putting his left hand on his chest.

"You're a ghost! That's all I need to know!"

"And you're a ghost hunter with a serious need for anger management and a grudge problem. That's all _I_ need to know."

Valerie let out an angry yell and began shooting him in rapid succession. Phantom bit his lip and quickly began flying around in a chaotic pattern. He managed to avoid all but one. That one lucky shot hit his chest, just missing his injured arm but sending unpleasant aftershocks coursing through his body as well as making him lose about ten feet of height.

Valerie lowered her board to be even with him. He glared hatefully at her, rubbing his chest with his left hand. He found it slightly ironic that those blasts didn't hurt him as much as he'd thought they would. It probably had to do with him being half alive or something. They still hurt of course, just not as bad. His newly found heart, however, didn't like these blasts at all.

"Now," Valerie began, her voice sounding clip and controlled, "are you going to return to your world or are we going to have to teach you what happens when you mess with us humans?"

Phantom spat out a little blood before straightening and giving Valerie a confident and determined look, raising his chin a little. He smirked slightly. "Despite what you think, I belong in the Zone about as much as I belong here." _Which is true,_ he thought. _Half ghost, half human…_ "It's a matter of where _I_ feel I belong, not where you _think_ I belong."

Valerie growled, raising her gun as if in warning. "You're not welcome here," she repeated.

Phantom's smirk widened. "By you maybe. But you seem to forget you're not the _only_ human that calls this place home."

"Nobody would welcome a ghost," Valerie insisted.

Phantom rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and you know everybody and everything about them."

"Well maybe I do," Valerie challenged.

"Well maybe you're just full of it," Phantom retorted. "I've already met two humans who _have_ welcomed me." _Kinda…_

He couldn't see her face, but her body showed her surprise. He kept himself from snorting. Was it really _that_ hard to believe?

Valerie snorted for him. "I doubt that. You're most likely lying. You and your kind are professionals at it."

"Yeah?" Phantom said dryly, rolling his eyes. "Yours too."

Valerie ignored him. "But even if you are telling the truth, it doesn't matter. The vast majority of the town doesn't want you here."

Phantom frowned a little, tilting his head to the side. "I've never met them. Why should they?"

"Because you're a ghost!" she shouted as if it were obvious. "Ghosts can't be trusted!"

He frowned at her for a moment before his smirk returned. "Yeah? Well I guess I'll just have to open you humans' eyes up to some painful facts. Fact number one: not all ghosts are malevolent or are reputation seeking idiots." Valerie scoffed. Phantom ignored her and raised a second finger. "Fact number two: we are just as diverse as you. Fact three: we _have_ feelings! Not as powerful, granted, but still there. And fact four—" Here Phantom grinned mischievously at her before disappearing.

Valerie gasped and hurriedly brought her hand up to her head, probably attempting to turn something on. Phantom reappeared before she could, appearing two inches from her face, still grinning impishly. The huntress gasped again and stumbled away slightly on her board.

"—Fact four: we don't like seeing 'our kind' being dissected, even if they do deserve it." Before she could react, Phantom had knocked her gun away and quickly grabbed Aragon, holding him under his elbow securely. Valerie was probably gaping at him now, too stunned to do anything. Phantom took advantage to leave in one last fact. "Fact five…" he brought his face closer to hers so that less than an inch separated them. This close up, he could see through her mask straight through to her surprised wide eyes and he was pretty sure she could make out some of his features as well. He didn't care though. He was feeling a little lightheaded. He meant to smirk, but he felt himself smiling instead. "…plan on seeing me around, Val."

With that, he disappeared, leaving Valerie alone, seething as thunder rumbled and it began raining.

* * *

(An-This is where it starts getting darkish)

The front door slammed open, causing Jazz to jump in surprise, almost dropping her book, before she glared angrily in its direction. She closed her book with a snap. She got up from her chair in the kitchen and stormed to her impolite family member who didn't have the decency to be _quiet_!

"Hey!" she shouted. "There is no need to—Danny?!" Jazz screeched to a halt and stared in shock at her little brother.

Danny was panting heavily just in front of the doorway, but he looked weakly up at her, water dripping off his bangs and into his face. He wasn't wearing his shirt, but rather had it wrapped firmly around his right arm that he was clutching tightly to his chest. Blood stained the white shirt, ruining it. He hadn't shut the door when he—likely stumbled inside so the storm outside created a bone chilling background for Jazz's little brother.

Danny gave her a small, sheepish smile. "Sorry, Jazz…didn't mean…to disturb your…brain time…I need your help, though…" He tried to take a step forward, but his legs gave out and he fell to the floor, managing to land on his left side as he did.

Jazz's psychology book slipped through her numb fingers. She was at her brother's side before it hit the ground.

* * *

Phantom groaned in pain and dropped a few feet before regaining control of his flight again, albeit, a bit wobbly. Rain and wind battered him mercilessly as he struggled to keep gravity from pushing him too far down. He was already just skimming over the city's buildings; any lower and he'd be using even more energy just to keep from crashing.

_At least Aragon weighs next to nothing, _Phantom thought gloomily. _Lucky no-good prince. He doesn't even need to _think_ about gravity when outside his dragon form._

He winced as his arm gave another painful throb. He didn't understand why it was doing that. He was guessing it had to do with his heart since it would only have a throb when his heart had a beat. It certainly didn't feel or look like any major wound Phantom had ever had so it made sense for his new half-alive condition to be the cause of this new discomfort. Granted, he hadn't been hurt a lot before, but he had a gut feeling this was different. The heart and the beating thing had to have some consequences for when he got hurt.

At the very least, he was nervous about it. If his heart beats, then wasn't he like…dependent on it like the humans were? Did that mean he could…_die_ like humans could? Would blood loss be a problem? He didn't know, and that made him worried. He couldn't do anything to help himself because he didn't know if there was anything to worry about or what he _could_ do if there was.

He'd tried to contact Danny before, but he didn't get a response. That either meant Danny was ignoring him, was too focused to hear him, or something had gone wrong with him too.

He wasn't sure what to make of all this. He was bleeding a great deal of his green/red "blood" in greater amounts than was his norm; every-now-and-then his arm would give a painful throb that may or may not be a byproduct of having a beating heart; and he couldn't get a hold of Danny to hear him say that all this was normal and Phantom shouldn't worry over silly things like that.

Phantom chuckled weakly. Yeah, he was overreacting. There was no need to worry. Danny was fine, waiting impatiently at Fenton Works, and soon—like after he dropped off His Royal Grouchiness into the Zone—Phantom would join him and they could laugh at his ridiculousness while they fixed his arm up. Yeah, he was just overly pessimistic and anxious because he'd had such a difficult day. Everything was just fine.

_And there's Fenton Works, _he thought, smiling in relief. _And I was worried._ The neon lights began to spin and he shook his head. _I'm exhausted. It's perfectly natural for me to feel dizzy and lightheaded. It's no big deal. Everything's fine. Nothing to worry about. _

_Whoa! Where are the brakes?!_

* * *

Jazz let out a relieved sigh, falling back on her heals before getting to her feet. She bent down and picked Danny up with only minor difficulty. He seriously needed to eat more. It wasn't healthy for his sister to be able to lift himself up at this age! She couldn't help being slightly grateful for it, however. If he'd been as heavy as one of his peers, she'd probably have been unable to lift him.

She still panted as she carried him unsteadily over to the couch. Once there, she dropped him carefully. Danny groaned slightly in his sleep, but didn't wake up again. Jazz sighed and shook her head. He was really exhausted. He hadn't even woken up when she'd begun to clean and bandage his arm.

She frowned down at his right arm, biting her bottom lip in slight worry.

In all honesty, it hadn't been as bad as she'd first thought. She was more confused about the cut than the actual cut itself. After wiping his arm clean, she'd bee able to see it more clearly. It wasn't really a big gash, just big enough that stitches sounded like a good precaution, though she'd refrained from using them. That wasn't a part of first aid, and it really wasn't necessary. So she'd forgon that procedure and gotten the first aid kit and bandaged his arm up.

Her theory on _how_ he could have gotten such a cut was he had again gotten involved in a ghost fight that their parents had rushed off to. He always tried to help in whatever way he could. Her little brother had always had a hero complex. It made her proud and frustrated at the same time. This was one of those frustrated moments.

His blood had had little green specks mixed in with it. Jazz's only conclusion to this was that he must have been too close to the action and gotten some ghost blood mixed with his own. This made her slightly uneasy since she wasn't sure if this could have any bad side-effects on his body. For all she knew, this could cause him to grow a second head or something!

Jazz chuckled a little at herself. There was no way the ecto-blood stuff would cause Danny to have a second head. It was scientifically impossible. But the plasma must have had some effect on him because the wound had looked like it was healing itself as she'd been cleaning it; too quickly to be normal.

She shook her head in befuddlement and sat down on the couch beside Danny. Whatever was the reason, she'd have to wait until their parents got home so she could get some information from them before she got it from Danny. As much as she didn't like it, Danny did keep secrets from her or tried to brush her observations off as nothing. Part off puberty, she deduced. Everyone draws away in order to become independant. She would get all his trust and honesty again later, as soon as he got enough of his independance.

Danny mumbled something incoherently in his sleep and shifted closer to Jazz.

_He has gotten so big… _she thought absently, smiling softly as she began to run her fingers through his midnight dark hair. He hummed a little and leaned into the touch. He wouldn't have allowed this if he'd been awake so Jazz took full advantage of it. _But his psych is still slightly child-like. Like his hero complex. He wants to be a hero, like a kid would, but it's colored with the more mature reason of wanting to protect the innocent._

Her smile widened a little. It was so fun to analyze her little brother's mind. He hated it, but he never _out right_ told her to stop. As long as she never told him her discoveries, he'd put up with her seemingly random questions. He'd once said that if it helped her to realize when it was alright to have "sappy" moments and when sleeping in was actually a _necessity_, he would try to put up with it. But if she told any one of her friends (_Especially Sam,_ she thought with a smirk) he would get back at her. He'd told her with this evil little grin that was more funny than intimidating.

But she followed his rules and never betrayed the trust he put in her, in more ways than just his mind problems. Like why he had come to her instead of their parents when they must have been closer, for instance. She doubted that they'd been too busy to help him because they would always, _always_ put ghosts aside when one of their kids needed them. It was an unquestioned fact.

So there must be something that Danny didn't want their parents to know abou and had risked blood lose to make sure they didn't.

Well, he probably didn't really think of it that way, but subconsciously maybe. Danny never really thought things through too deeply, instead preferring to act before he thought. He was probably halfway home when he realized by running, he sped his heart up and caused himself to lose more blood.

Jazz hoped him passing out was from exhaustion and not blood loss, because if it was from blood loss, then Jazz would have to involve their parents and whatever Danny had wanted to keep secret would no longer be a secret. She was pretty sure it was exhaustion anyway. He didn't have the symptoms for blood loss. She was just worried and feeling overprotective. After all, he'd almost died twice.

Jazz gasped and jumped off the couch as something fell _through_ the wall and onto the loveseat, knocking the small couch over and covering the something underneath it. Jazz stared wide eyed at the toppled couch before sprinting out of the room.

"Oww…." a voice moaned beneath the loveseat. "Note to self: don't fly while in denial."

Jazz ran back into the room just as a hooded head poked out from beneath the arm of the couch. Glowing green eyes blinked lazily up at her as she brandished a bat.

The ghost frowned at the bat. "'Fenton Anti-Creep Stick?' Are...you implying something here?" he asked, sounding weak for a ghost. She was sure she was mistaken, but it looked as if he was breathing harshly.

"Don't try anything," Jazz warned, waving the bat threateningly. "I'm the Fentons' daughter; I'm trained in ghost fighting."

The ghost shuddered then winced. When he spoke, his voice sounded even more strained. "Good for you—"

Jazz frowned as the ghost started coughing violently. Slowly, she lowered the Anti-Creep Stick. "Are you…um, are you alright?"

The ghost winced again. "Just peachy." He squinted his eyes as he looked up at her more closely. "Hey…I know you…You're…Danny's sister…uh, Jazz? I think so…if you'd…just hold _still_…" (AN-The ... is the only way I could think of to show how straind he was. They're little breaks where he, like, takes in two breaths or a long one.)

"You know me?" she questioned, warily stepping closer to the fallen ghost.

"Not exactly," he replied after another shudder. "We've…never met…personally. I…know…you…through…Danny." The ghost's eyes began to close and his head began to sag down to the ground.

Jazz threw caution to the wind. She dropped the Anti-Creep Stick and raced over to him, falling to her knees beside him. She grabbed his head, hood and all, and forced him to look at her. His glowing green eyes seemed glazed over, not shining as brightly as they should. But she thought she saw something inside them flicker. Surprise, recognition, and maybe wonder. Maybe.

"Stay with me," Jazz ordered, making sure she held his gaze unwaveringly.

"W-wha…?" he blinked at her, confused. "W-why?"

"I don't know what's wrong with you," she replied, struggling to make her voice sound cold and not let the concern show. She couldn't show her concern in case he was the kind of ghost that prefered to take advantage of people. She didn't know him, after all. "Until I do, you need to stay awake."

He blinked at her a couple of times before smiling a little. "You know, you…and Danny…are a lot…alike. You both race…to the rescue…even for…your enemy."

"Danny has a hero complex," Jazz felt she had to explain, feeling slightly defensive. "I guess it rubbed off on me."

He chuckled, a little remorsefully. "You're not the only one."

She offered him a smile. "Maybe." She didn't get what he meant, but she would go with it. She had to keep him talking.

The ghost blinked at her in surprise a couple of times before wincing and shuddering again, his lively and glazed green eyes shutting tightly.

Jazz frowned, unable to hide her concern. "What hurts?"

He shook his head weakly. "Nothing. Just…numb."

"Can you give me a list of your symptoms?"

He blinked in confusion at her. "Um…"

She sighed. "Right then. I'll do it.

"Ignoring the total improbability of the fact, your breathing is shallow." The ghost tensed a little then tried to breathe less. Jazz raised an eyebrow. "You realize that confirms it." The ghost sighed, breathing at his normal pace. "You're pale—"

"I'm a ghost. It kinda comes…with the whole...dead thing."

"Yes, but you're paler than you were when you first fell." He shrugged. "You seem to be disoriented and confused…Are you lightheaded or dizzy?"

"If you mean….the room is…spinning; yup."

Jazz bit her lip nervously as she began compiling the symptoms. "Hmm…Do you know why you're hurt?"

"It may have…something to do with…my arm being torn…open. It's funny, 'cause I can't…feel it anymore…but, I _can_…How…weird…" He chucked mirthlessly. "Must have…somethin'…to do with…Danny."

Jazz ignored the last part and focused on the loveseat. "So...you're wounded, and it sounds like you've lost a lot of your blood—err, ectoplasm. I don't know how losing so much ectoplasm would affect ghosts, but if you were human you would be in critical condition right now." The ghost blinked blankly at her and she sighed. "If something isn't done now to stop the bleeding…you may not make it."

He blinked a few times before the information got through his disorientation. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He began struggling weakly to get out of his comfy prison. Clearly, it was possible for a ghost to fear for its afterlife as this one was in a panic. Jazz chewed anxiously on her bottom lip as she struggled with her inner conflict.

She didn't know why, but the thought of the ghost…dying made her unexplainably sad. She just couldn't seem to stand the thought of him fading away. Maybe it was because they had somehow started a tentative friendship in those five minutes, or maybe it was because he somehow remind her of Danny, which she didn't get at all. She couldn't see her face and she only had a small sketch of his personality. She couldn't compare anything with that.

He was still a ghost, however. While she hadn't believed in ghost for the first fourteen years of her life, she'd come to accept their existence and from there began to listen to some of her parents nonsense, finding that not all of what they were saying was wrong. She didn't completely believe their ideas on ghosts' psych and that they were inherently evil, but she couldn't say that she was without a biased opinion. Some part of her was still afraid of the ghosts hiding under her bed—figuratively of course.

The ghost himself clearly wasn't ready to let go of his afterlife, though, and Jazz couldn't deny that it was breaking her heart to see him so afraid. She didn't understand it, but she knew that, afraid of him or not, evil or not, she would do all in her power to help him. She had to. She was the only one who had the capability and the heart to help a ghost in a ghost terrorized town.

She hesitated for one more second, before placing her hand gently on his head. The ghost paused in his struggles and looked up at her with wide, fearful eyes. She smiled gently back, wishing that there wasn't a hood so she could run her fingers through his hair to better comfort him.

"I never said that there was no hope," she said calmly, still smiling reassuringly. "I can help. I'm practiced in first aid, and I'm pretty sure I can help stop the bleeding."

The ghost continued to blink in surprise at her as she stood back up and moved to the side of the couch, ready to free the trapped ghost.

"W-what are…you doing?" the ghost asked, craning his head to keep his eyes on her.

"I'm getting the loveseat off of you so I can get a look at your arm," Jazz replied, hooking her hands underneath back of the couch which was now touching the floor.

"Oh…" the ghost frowned a bit. "But, uh…you should be…prepared. There's a another…ghost with…me…Out cold,…but I don't…know for how much…longer…He'll be pissed…when he wakes up."

Jazz paused, frowning slightly. "Another ghost?"

"Yeah…I was going…to throw him…back into…Zone before…parents…dissect him."

Jazz nodded absently, making a mental note to look into the side effects of witnessing the dissection of one's own kind. With a steadying breath, she heaved the loveseat back upright. She watched the sleeping ghost warily as the injured one struggled to crawl away from the other.

The ghost she'd been talking to wore a black cape and hood, though the cape was wrapped loosely around his right arm, much the same way Danny had wrapped his arm with his shirt, minus the firmness with which they were wrapped. Jazz shook off the funny déjà vu feeling and bent down to help the ghost.

She wanted to carry him towards the couch Danny was on, but that would mean holding him close to her, and she wasn't ready for that amount of trust yet. So she made a compromise. She grabbed his ankles and gently rolled him over onto his back, ignoring his surprised cry. She smiled apologetically before dragging him slowly over to the larger couch.

"Hey!" the ghost protested, struggling to free his feet. "What are you—" he began to cough harshly.

Jazz waited for the coughing fit to subside before continued her progress towards her destination. "Helping you. We need to elevate your legs twelve inches above the floor and make you comfortable. Besides, my kit's over there."

"Well, a little…warning next time…would be…lovely, Jazz," he said pointedly, causing Jazz a smile despite herself.

"Let's not have a next time."

"Good idea."

Finally, they reached the couch. The ghost's eyes traveled over to Danny as Jazz set her legs down.

"He's asleep?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

Jazz pulled herself out of her thoughts about her new dilemma and nodded. "Yes. He passed out from either exhaustion or blood loss."

He looked back at her with wide eyes. "Blood loss?"

She nodded again as she pulled her first aid kit over. She wouldn't pick him up. She could just rest his feet on the kit as soon as she got all that she needed out of it. "He ran most of the way here from where the…" she glanced at the sleeping ghost ten yards away. "…ghost fight happened, even though he was hurt…Were you there, too?"

The ghost licked his lips nervously. He hissed in pain as she began to unwrap his cape. "Y-yeah. I helped…the huntress…beat…Aragon." He pointed vaguely towards the other ghost with his left hand.

Jazz paused. "You fought him and then saved him?"

He smiled impishly at her, his eyes shining briefly with something else besides his ethereal glow. "Hero complex," he said simply.

Jazz starred at him blankly for a moment before laughing, not really seeing why it was funny, but being unable to control it. Later she would deduce it was all the stress building up and needing a release.

"Contagious, isn't it? Not even ghosts are immune."

The ghost suddenly grabbed her hand, stopping her from unwrapping his arm completely. Jazz jumped a little at the touch before looking at the ghost with surprised wide eyes.

"I…" the ghost swallowed thickly. "My…can't…" he made a frustrated sound. "Please, don't…tell...parents…about what you…you find…They wouldn't…they'd just…no…please…"

Jazz hesitated before nodding, wondering as she did so what she was getting herself into. The ghost smiled gratefully as his eyes closed, his left hand slipping off of Jazz's and his breathing easing slightly.

Jazz bit her lip as she looked down at the sleeping ghost. Slowly, she unwrapped his arm, bracing herself for what she might find.

* * *

**I researched so pretty much all the symptoms are correct. If anyone you know gets injured and has them, call 911 right away. Jazz will be a special case since she's the only one who has the knowledge--limited as it is--and the willingness to help him. So she'll have to do all the doctors would have done.**

**Cliffhanger? Maybe.  
See, I'm wondering if the next chapter I should have the procedure Jazz went through to heal Phantom. I don't really want to because it'd be a little boring. She mostly has to sit around and keep pressure on Phantom's wound for fifteen or so minutes. I might be able to spice it up with Aragon waking up. But, I think it'd be more fun if we--and by we I mean you all ;) --were left wondering what all she'd figured out. It'd be fun. **

**Jazz was more difficult this time around. I think I need to give her bigger words. I wasn't sure about how she would react to Phantom and ghosts in general since she found out about Danny from almost the get-go. But I figured this would be the case since in My Brother's Keeper, she'd stayed to watch Danny fight Bertrend and didn't run screaming.  
Also, she's the first human besides Danny who was kind to him. Well, Sam was too, in her own way, but Phantom was more intimidated by her. So, see? The humans and girls will be making up for all their cruelty to Phantom through Jazz. :D ... Yeah, that's what I'll stick with.**

**Okay, the explanation. Why Danny got hurt will be explored a bit later; won't be telling you that now since in a chapter or two, Phantom will explain their change. Use your imagination for now. But his wound wasn't as bad as Phantom's because of a few reasons. One: Danny took better care of his wound since he knew to keep pressure on it (wraping his shirt around it tightly instead of loosely like Phantom). Two: he wasn't the one to recieve the wound, nor the bacteria and stuff with it (hey, if there's gonna be a ghost flu, there's gotta be bacterie ;) ) Three: Danny's healing abilities will be better--I'll explain later. Four: In running, Danny lost more blood, but it also made the ectoplasm flow faster through his viens, healing him quicker. Five: Phantom has a weaker immune system and I'm thinkin of him getting infected. Not a big deal of one, but it'd be useful in letting him get a better idea of things.**

**I'm a bit nervous of this chapter, because the wounds were difficult to deal with and I had to research. Also, Jazz and her characterization. I need bigger words for her X|**

**I had more to say, but now I can't remember. Later!**

**Thanks fo reading. Leave a review if you can.**


	17. Lunar Hold

**And I'm back! Whoohoo! Rejoice! ...What? This is a happy time! Smile! Laugh! Don't hate me! Eat cake!**

**But seriously, I'm sorry you had to wait another three months for this chapter. School as a senior is a lot harder than I thought it would be. That was only some of it though. The other was some other things that are pretty unnecessary to discuss. Oh, but one of the reasons why is I got plot bunnies a lot. I got rid of them by writing a chapter--or half of one--for each. One chapter and I was done. For most of them, anyway. I got four that I figure I'll write when I have the time. Two stories at a time is my limit, though. One from my Halfa series and one new one. **

**To my awesome reviewers:  
Hyperpegasi: **I left you hanging for a looong time, huh? Sorry! But I didn't leave you completely hanging in the chapter. You'll see. I liked reading your review. It made me smile. Long reviews are really nice. Thanks for the review!  
**Kirby77DP77: **The fenton anti creep stick was my favorite too :P I'm sorry to hear about your grandma. Stupid "C". This isn't soon, but it's soon as I can! ;)  
**Comando: **Thank you and here it is!  
**Preemtive Karma: **Yeah, the injuries were kind of fun ;)  
**Waterdog: **Thanks!It was hard doing the research--I hate doing research--so I'm glad it came out right. Jazz was a bit difficult, but I get what you're saying about helping everyone out. I'm not sure what you could help me out with--besides proofreading since my sister refuses to have anything to do with Danny Phantom--but I'll keep your offer in mind. Bounce some ideas off of you, I guess I could do. I remember thinking I wanted someone's opinion on something...Eh, I'll keep your offer in mind :D Be afraid!  
**Omnisayian: **The chat was fun and Val did need to hear it. Whether she's going to listen to it or not, is another story ;)  
**ShadowGlow: **lol :D  
**Hawkflyer667: **lol. I seem to hurt Phantom a lot, so that's good. I feel bad, but I find it funny too. Bad Trance!  
**Kiomori: **I'm not sure how much I want her to know, but Jazz does learn a lot. How much has yet to be shown ;) Danny saving Aragon wasn't originally the plan, but then they got to talking and I realized the same thing. Danny (regular) wouldn't allow that. Yup.  
**Hawky Phantom: **...Things didn't, but it's alright, I'll be fine. Drawlings are awesome! I would put them on my...profile thing, but I'm not sure how. Then again, I haven't been on here for a while, so I'll give it another try. I'm glad you weren't confused. Well, at least I know Jazz is still in character. Danny and Phantom are becoming their own people. Darn them.  
**Trip and Fall: **(I like the Trance part :D ) I'm glad I could make your day! You made mine. Yay big reviews! Anyway, you have a point with Jazz. I guess that would be true. Makes me feel better. I'm not sure how the beta thing works. So far, I just use the threasure. Yeah. Phantom. So fun to read. So fun to write. Dang him! They're supposed to be equal! lol. I'm sorry I kept you waiting for so long.  
**XthirteenX: **Phantom gets both. A cold and infected. Man, I'm mean to him :) Sadly, Tucker won't be in _this_ story. Not in person, anyway. He'll talk with Danny on the internet and the phone, is all. But he's a main character in the next story ;) You'll have to wait to see what happened with the lightning wound. I'm glad you love it so much!  
**Haname: **It is? ...Awesome! Fixing all those will take _forever_, though! I don't want to! I _will_, but I don't want to! Just so we understand each other ;) Updated. Took a long time though. Sorry :(  
**DP-shrine-in-closet-girl: **Aw, you really like it that much :D The part with Danny wasn't too difficult and I actually had fun changing it around so it sounded more intense. I like how it turned out too. I'm glad you liked how Jazz acted and came into the story. It seems that it was all a smooth transision (sp) as if I had planned it that way, but that is false! I threw away so many different scenarios I probably killed a tree for no reason :P But yeah, that was the reaction I wanted her to have and I'm glad she's IC. Hope I don't mess her up like I did the boys. Sexist little Phantom is a go! Just a little. (Evil laugh) fuuun. Yeah, I seem to be really mean to him. Maybe if I be mean to Danny too, things will even out again?  
**TenkaCat: **I'm glad you find my story so fun! Danny's powers will develop overtime, like in the show. Well, that's my excuse. I'm open for suggestions ;) lol. That was my favorite part of the whole chapter, I think. Everytime I think of it I remember my French 1 class where I came up with it. No, I didn't need to go pee, but the guy next to me did :P I know they can be a bit ooc, but I'm really disappointed with myself for letting them stray so far. I feel like I don't have a hold on who they're supposed to be, which is frustrating because I'm big on characterization. Anyway, glad you like my writing! Thanks for the three reviews!  
**RandomFreakazoid: **Really? Thanks! Telling me to updates soon isn't selfish; it lets me know you care! ...mostly. :D  
**spiritmind657: ;**D  
**Thank you all so much! That was a lot of reviews and I really appreciate them! I'm sorry it took so long to update, but I don't think it'll happen again...I hope. It's as frustrating for me as it is for you.**

**I'll never give up on these Halfa stories, though, because it turns out my Grandpa began reading this before he went to the hospital. The cool thing about that is that he's into western stories and only a little into science fiction. Even more, he doesn't like cartoons and had no clue what/who Danny Phantom was. But he liked this! He really did! He wanted me to have his laptop to help me with my stories, too. This is coming from it even! Man, I miss him...**

**Anyway, on to the chapter! I own it, but I don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

Chapter 14  
Lunar Hold

When Phantom woke up, it took him a few minutes to realize where he was that and that the thing above him was the ceiling inside Danny's human world closet. It took him another two minutes to remember what had happened before he fell asleep and to instantly sit upright. He hissed in surprise as pain laced through his arm, alerting him to its still injured status. He groaned and looked down at it.

His right arm—which was being held gingerly against his chest—was covered in white bandages from his elbow to his wrist. There was a little bit of red-speckled green ectoplasm leaking through and staining the dressing, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been before.

Phantom frowned, trying to remember all that had happened. Most of his conversation with Jazz was a bit hazy, and hard to recall, but he was sure he remembered her being…compassionate towards him. That's why he had trusted her, trusted that she wouldn't hurt him or allow him to be hurt…more than he was, anyway. She actually seemed to care for his well being, and as much as that confused him, he couldn't help feeling warm inside—which is weird for ghosts, even halfa ones. He felt like he could trust her.

Not that he really had a choice but to trust her. He had felt his conscious slipping away and had been terribly afraid that he would experience Oblivion—ghost death. But she had said she could help him and she was likely the only one who would. It was either her or Oblivion.

Funny thing is, Phantom doesn't remember thinking of it in those terms when he'd been dying. He'd just seen a human who had no reason to be nice to him, willing to treat his wounds for nothing in return. It had been…nice.

But...

He sighed and shook his head, pushing the thoughts away.

Phantom floated onto his feet, carefully avoiding his arm hitting Danny's clothes or a wall. He became intangible and invisible before floating through the closet door. Outside the closet, the room was a little lighter, but not by much. The sun had most likely set and it was now nighttime.

Phantom was slightly put out by this. _There goes my day in the human world,_he thought, pouting a little. _It better be sunny tomorrow or I'll...er, I'll do something. What are you supposed to do to clouds anyway? They're pretty vicious for fluffy water vapor and dust particles._

He sighed. The clouds were an impossible enemy to defeat with his resources. They'd just get off lucky if they did block the sun again.

Phantom shrugged and flew over to Danny's bed. He sat on it gently, worried about hurting his arm if he were to flop down like he usually did. Something crinkled underneath him and he frowned, looking down at the bed. It wasn't hard for him to make out the piece of paper he was sitting on. He raised an eyebrow before floating a few inches to his right and picking up the paper.

His eyesight was good in the dark, but not well enough to read small handwriting. He frowned a little in slight annoyance. He would have to either turn on a lamp—something he's not very familiar with and may just end up breaking—or create his own light. Meaning, creating a little condensed ball of ecto-energy. He'd seen other ghosts do it, but he hadn't tried it yet.

He shrugged. _Can't be too hard, _he thought. _After all, Aragon can do it...then again, he's like, five hundred years dead...and he's completely dead..._

Phantom sighed and decided to go with the third, less reliable, but more likely choice. He called on his inner power, making his eyes shine brighter. Their light also illuminated the paper enough for his night vision to read by.

He smirked a little in triumph and began reading, his smirk falling away and a raised eyebrow taking its place as he continued.

"_Ghost,_

_I'm sorry about putting you in Danny's closet. It was the safest place to put you so my parents wouldn't find you. Danny was sleeping on the couch when they got back so there's no need for them to come up to Danny's room, but I put you in the closet just in case they did. I hope it didn't aggravate your wound._

_Oh, about that. You probably want to know about it right? You received the wound from 'Aregon' correct? My parents mentioned fighting a dragon, so I'm guessing he was in that form when he attacked you, since the wound was too big to be done by anything besides a tooth or claw. It was about 5/8 in. deep, 6 in. long, and ¾ in. wide. _

_I realize these measurements may not mean much to you, but what this means is that (putting into account the time you got the cut and the time from when I stopped the bleeding) you would have bled to death if you had been human. If by some miracle you had survived, we would surely have needed to amputate the limb. You shouldn't be so reckless. You could have died. But then again, you wouldn't have been in any danger if you were technically a ghost, correct?"_

Phantom bit his lip, resigned to the fact that it was inevitable someone found out about it. At least it was someone he did have a shaky trust with. But would she...

_"Don't worry; I remember my promise. Your secret is safe with me."_

Phantom sighed in relief, his posture relaxing visibly. She wouldn't tell...well, she says she won't. He will take what he can get right now.

_"The reason you were fine is because ectoplasm is thicker than blood. If a ghost gets cut open, it will take twice as long to bleed out as a human. Also, ghosts have little to fear from a cut, not only because ectoplasm is so thick and they have no heart to pump it out, but also because ghosts heal quickly. By the time a human would reach critical, a ghost would have already healed itself enough that it could just leave the wound—which most likely would have been a scratch by then—to itself._

_This clearly wasn't the case for you since you are a special ghost. You have blood mixed in with your ectoplasm so it's not as thick as normal. You also have a heartbeat, which pumps blood (and ectoplasm, in your case) throughout your body. It doesn't stop when you get an injury so it ends up pumping blood out of the body when you get hurt. When you put these together, the time it takes for you to reach critical is only ¼ longer than a human's. You still have healing abilities, but they aren't fast enough to counteract your faster bleeding rate."_

Phantom raised an eyebrow. He didn't really care about that. He gathered she was one who loved information, though. It _was_ a little interesting, but only in the way that he now understood why this wound was different from others. His heart was such a pain.

_"The good news is that all I had to do was keep pressure on your arm to slow your bleeding while your powers healed you. You aren't __completely__ healed yet. That won't be until tomorrow or the day after, judging by the injury and the rate at which you heal. _

_In the mean time, I'm going to need to give you two daily check-ups. One tomorrow morning and one at night, and one the day after in the afternoon. You may not like this, but I need to check for possible infection. Sometimes an infection is more dangerous than the actual bleeding, especially when the wound was caused by an animal bite._

_Oh, and I'm sorry about your cape. I was taking it to get washed when I was putting Aregon back into the Ghost Zone. He snagged it before I could stop him and then he flew through the portal. I'm really sorry. If you need to wear something over your hair, you can get one of Danny's old sweaters. I'm even sure there's a black one somewhere. Maybe later I can go buy you one. After all, it may seem suspicious if they saw a ghost wearing Danny's clothes._

_I won't 'interrogate' you to get my answers during our check-ups unless you are alright with it. I'm also here if you ever need to talk._

_I'll see you then._

_Sincerely,_

_Jasmine (call me Jazz)_

_P. S. You know, I need a name. I can't keep calling you ghost. At the very least, it's damaging to your psych._

Phantom growled in annoyance and put the letter down. This had better be the last bad news of the day. Why did Aragon have to go and steal his cape anyway? It wouldn't fit him! Stupid, cape-stealing, jerk. Phantom scowled. Now he was going to have to wear _human_ clothes. Who knows how uncomfortable they are. They may be—

Phantom's thoughts came to a halt as silvery light began to invade the room. He frowned slightly as it began to lighten the room considerably. He floated off of the bed and flew slowly over to the window, where the light was coming from. He didn't know what it was, but the light was beautiful, almost hypnotic. He wanted to know what was causing it.

He'd just reached the window when the light vanished. He groaned tiredly and laid his head on the windowsill. He wasn't tired physically—he'd slept his whole day away!—but he was tired mentally. Maybe emotionally too. Things had just been happening faster than he was used to. Hopefully, tomorrow would be a relatively plain day.

And while he was wishing, he might as well wish for his cape back.

_Stupid Aragon._

* * *

Danny chewed his chicken slowly as he watched the hunters in near fascination. Valerie was still ranting on about Phantom, the so-called cold, hardheaded, no-good, untrustworthy, _ghost._ His dad added in some comments every-now-and-then and his mom nodded along absently, too preoccupied with her new invention to add to the ranting, though she had an upset frown on her face.

On Danny's right sat Jazz. She wasn't acting normal either. Instead of protesting against discussing ghosts when they were supposed to be eating dinner, she was switching from listening avidly to the discussion and spacing out. She'd barely even touched her supper or her psychology book.

Danny swallowed his chicken and cocked his head to the side. It looked like he was the only one acting "normal" around here. And by the way Valerie had no inclination of stopping or even slowing down on her rant, he would be for the rest of the night. It was kind of funny how Phantom could affect the Fenton family without even being present. His first public sighting and the hunters were in an uproar. He hadn't even shot at them either!

Though, that was probably the point. Phantom wasn't like the other ghosts they had come across. He didn't try to hurt them or take over the city. And when pressed, he asks for a truce. He's actions were confusing the professionals. He was an unknown to them. Nothing intrigued people more than the unknown, especially scientists. It was sort of like Valerie and the public. The difference was everyone knew and accepted Valerie as a protector, but Phantom was a ghost. People were afraid of ghosts so he was a dangerous unknown. Negative attention and all that.

_Urgh, I sound like Jazz _again_!_ Danny groaned to himself. He took another bite of his chicken, taking his frustration out on it. _What is with that? Actually...what's up with her?_

Danny glanced at Jazz just in time to see her hurriedly look away. He frowned and swallowed his bite. His sister had actually been doing that a lot. He kind of expected it since she had more than likely noticed his weird blood discoloration when she was bandaging him up, but she hadn't acted on it. She hadn't asked, weaseled, or bribed the information out of him. While he appreciated the break, he couldn't understand why she wouldn't. Normally, if she knew he knew she knew, she wouldn't be shy about talking to him about it. It was...sort of unnerving.

As for the wound itself, it itched. He had woken up with it bandaged expertly and istantly knew Jazz had, of corse, helped him. There had also been a sweatshirt beside him that he had quickly put on when his parents and Valerie had come back. He didn't want them to see his wound and start asking questions he couldn't answer, or worse, freak out about his health.

"...And then he had the nerve to start questioning my motives!" Danny blinked and tuned back into Valerie's venting. "My motives are none of his business! All he needs to know is that I won't allow him in my—er, our town!"

"That's right!" Jack agreed, punching his hand into his palm. "No ghost is welcome here! Did you teach it a lesson?"

Valerie looked both angry and apologetic. "No. He was too quick and devious and before I knew it, he had taken the dragon ghost with him and disappeared."

"It's alright, dear," Maddie said gently, finally looking up from her invention. "It's a new ghost so it will be a while before we're able to predict its motives." She slid her invention off to the side and pulled her hood and goggles off. "Tell us what all happened for now. Ghosts sometimes let things slip that they don't mean to when talking to us."

Valerie nodded and related all that Phantom had said. The whole Fenton family listened avidly to the recitation, each with their own reaction. Maddie looked thoughtful and a little trouble for a second, before she shook it off and frowned. Jack was also frowning, but other than that, Danny couldn't read into his expression. Jazz looked...excited and like her brain was in overdrive. Danny himself was trying to hide a smile.

Apparently, Phantom had defied Valerie's authority, questioned her beliefs and morals, reclaimed their prisoner, promised future meetings, and thoroughly shaken Valerie all within ten minutes. It was pretty impressive, considering who Valerie was.

"...and then he flew off with the dragon ghost," she concluded, looking angry and sheepish as she stared down at her shoes with her hands clenched at her sides. "I let him distract me and he was able to escape. I'm sorry."

"Aw, don't worry about it, Red," Jack said loudly, clapping a consoling hand on Valerie's shoulder that nearly knocked her over. "We'll catch him next time!"

Valerie grimaced slightly. "There wouldn't have been a next time if I had stayed focused like you taught me."

Maddie smiled and placed a hand on hers. "It's alright, sweetie," she said gently. "Sometimes it is best for the ghost to escape. We can still learn about it from a distance. Plus, it most likely headed back to its human allies' houses. It could lead us to them next time and we could find out more about them as well as talk them into giving us information on the ghost boy. No, the ghosts escaping isn't good, but we can still work with this."

"Yeah! And this way I can try out the Jack-O-Nine-Tails on him!" Jack exclaimed, wiping out a metal stick.

He pressed a button and green wires with metal claws and Jack's face in the middle shot out of the tip. The wires zeroed in on Danny who had frozen in fear. He would have been "captured" if Jazz hadn't already reacted and pulled him out of harm's way, narrowly missing the glowing wires. His vacated chair instead received the wipe-like wires as an accessory when they went limp.

Jazz made sure her little brother was only shaken and not harmed before glaring at her parents with her hands on her hips. "Put that away! You could have seriously hurt him! Why is that even at the table?"

Jack looked put out and a little guilty, as if he had been caught stealing a cookie. "Aw, but, Jazzerincess," he whined, "it wouldn't have hurt him. It only electrocutes ghosts, not humans."

Jazz continued to stare at him for a moment before her eyes widened. "Oh! Right! It would only hurt a ghost and Danny's certainly not a ghost because we would know if he was because he would be falling through things and all that! Haha! Silly me!"

Their parents and Valerie stared at her strangely as she continued to laugh nervously.

Danny hid his invisible hands behind his back, smiling uneasily as he began backing out of the room. "Yeah, right. I'm not a ghost so it doesn't matter," he agreed hurriedly. "But I am kind of tried so I'm gonna go to bed…uh, now." He disappeared out the doorway. "Goodnight!"

He heard a loud goodnight from Jazz, but didn't wait around for the rest. He ran up the stairs—tripping once when his foot went intangible—and slowed down when he reached the top. He looked around curiously. He could sense Phantom again now, that strange wholeness feeling he'd come to associate with his ghostly friend was back, but he wasn't able to pin point his location. It was doubtful that he would be in any other room besides his room, though, so Danny quickly made his way over to it.

He opened his door and paused in the doorway when he was greeted by an intriguing sight.

Phantom sat on the window sill, hugging his knees loosely as he stared up at the sky in wonder. He was bathed in silvery moonlight, the light and his natural glow somehow combining to make him look like he was a mini moon himself inside the room. They lit up most of the room. Danny knew some ghosts tended to do that when in the moonlight—something Sam liked to call "lunar hold"—but he never got to see it close up or where the ghost wasn't moving. It was a beautiful sight that made ghosts look more magical and mysterious than deadly and vengeful.

Danny shook it off and shut the door catching Phantom's attention.

The ghost looked over at Danny for a moment before looking back outside, his right arm hiding from Danny's view. "Hey, Danny," he greeted quietly, still apparently content with looking up at the moon. "You bring me any food?"

Danny froze for a second before catching the amusement in Phantom's eyes. He rolled his own and walked over to sit in the computer chair beside the window. "You only need to eat once a day don't you?"

Phantom shrugged. "I think so." He tapped the glass, drawing Danny's attention to it. "What's that?"

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Uh, glass."

The ghost shook his head. "No. The shiny orb up there."

Danny looked outside and smiled. "That's the moon, Phantom. It's also called Luna."

Phantom tilted his head to the side and looked back at the moon. "Luna moon, huh? We have something like that in the Zone. We call it Origin, though, because it's in the center of the Zone and a silly myth about us originating from it...you know, when we die."

"Really?"

"No." He grinned at him. "It's just a myth. It's really only a condensed ball of pure ecto-energy." He shrugged. "No big deal. Is the moon like the sun, though?"

Danny looked at him curiously. "Not exactly. It's reflecting the sun's light whereas the sun is a big ball of gas that creates its own light by using fusion." He tilted his head to the side when Phantom looked surprised and a little confused. "You really don't know about these things, do you?"

The ghost shook his head. "No. I only saw what was through my mentor's screen, and that was when he allowed me to or when I snuck in. I never saw that thing before and I only saw the sun a couple times."

"Oh. Well, I'm sure you'll see the sun a lot now that you're out in the human world." Danny grinned at him and he received a small smirk in return.

"I suppose," Phantom agreed, leaning his chin on his knees. "It wasn't out today though."

"It will be tomorrow."

"I hope so." A cloud suddenly rolled in front of the moon and all light but Phantom's faint glow vanished from the room. It wasn't much of a light source, but Danny could see Phantom glare out the window.

"How did you do that?"

"Huh?" Phantom looked back at Danny.

"Glow really brightly," the human elaborated. "I see ghosts do it sometimes when they're in the moonlight, but I've never figured out how. Sam says it has to do with there being a common calling or something like that. Kind of like werewolves and other creatures like that thriving in the moonlight, I think."

Phantom grinned at him. "I think you're looking too far into it. My soul half is probably just absorbing the light and it's making my inner glow brighter."

Danny gave him a confused look. "Soul half? Inner glow? Dude, you're not making sense."

He shrugged. "Don't worry about it. It's just something that happens, I guess. It's not like it's a big deal or anything."

"It may mean you're stronger during a full moon," Danny disagreed.

"A full moon?"

"Uh, it's when all of the moon is showing."

"And that would make a difference in my power because…"

Danny rubbed his neck. "Uh, I guess it wouldn't…?" Too bad Sam wasn't around...

"Exactly." Phantom floated off of the window sill, instead sitting on air in front of Danny.

The human frowned. "There a reason why you did that?"

"I don't like gravity." He answered with a shrug.

It was then Danny noticed Phantom was missing something, though. "Hey, Phantom? Where's your cape?"

Phantom grimaced and looked away. "I lost it."

Danny waited for him to continue, but when he didn't he leaned forward. "What do you mean you lost it? Don't you need it?"

Phantom shrugged. "I lost it during the fight and I don't really need it. A hat or sweatshirt will do just fine."

"Oh." Danny leaned back, rubbing his neck. "Well, I have some sweatshirts like this one if you need one…"

"Yeah, thanks." He didn't seem too thrilled, though, and continued to stare blankly at his hands. Obviously the cape meant more to him than just a way to hide his identity.

Danny felt another "Jazz moment" coming on and quickly shook his head. _Okay, we need a new topic…_ "So what happened today? Uh, after Sam and I left you."

Phantom looked a little surprised at the change in subject, but he quickly shook it off. "Um, I explored the lake a little…"

"Yeah, I _heard_ that," Danny said with a smirk.

Phantom blushed and glared. "Don't eavesdrop!"

"I can't help it."

"Whatever." He reclined a little on the air. "Hmm. I got bored of that after a while and then realized I was in the human world and still hadn't seen the sun. So I decided to go and see it, clouds or no clouds. So I flew up in the clouds—"

"After I told you not to?" Danny demanded, interrupting him.

Phantom frowned. "Yeah, but why would I listen to you?"

Danny scowled and leaned back in his seat, sulking. "Maybe because I know more about this sort of thing than you do."

"Have you ever been up in the clouds?"

"No, but I don't need to. I know you would have run out of air before you could have even gotten out of the clouds, let alone seen the sun. Those were storm clouds."

Phantom winced. "Yeah, I got the storm part."

"You didn't get hit by lightning, did you?" When Phantom gave him a sheepish grin, Danny groaned and smacked his head. He continued to grumble to himself for a while before giving Phantom a curious look. "Hey, what did the clouds look like?"

Phantom grinned, his tense shoulders relaxing. "Dark, fluffy, and wet. Like a big valley of fluffy grey grass."

Danny smiled and leaned forward. "And the lightning?"

"Awesome!" Phantom threw his arms out. "It looked amazing! I can't describe it, but I'll never forget _that_ experience." They laughed quietly together.

Danny was the first one to shake it off. "So how and where did you get hit?" he asked.

Phantom touched his foot. "On my ankle. I was trying to fly out of there before I got hit. Lightning is one of the few human world…uh, things, that ghosts can't escape. Just the zap to my foot sent me into unconsciousness." He got a pained look. "One of the few times gravity actually came in handy."

Danny smirked.

"Well, after I regained control of my fall, I saw a person falling and saved her." He winced a little. "That's where everything starts happening. See Aragon—he's a prince—wanted her to die so she could be revived and she would become a halfa…or so he hoped." Danny looked skeptical, but didn't comment and Phantom ignored the skepticism. "He wanted her ghost half to be his bride or something stupid like that. Said he wanted me to drop her to her death so he could be on his way." Phantom sighed. "I said no and that's how our little disagreement turned into his little temper-tantrum." He grinned. "I tend to do that to people, I think."

Danny smirked and nodded. "Yeah, you do."

"Valerie showed up and we formed a temporary alliance." He scowled out the window. "Once we defeated Aragon, she forgot all about our truce and started spouting some crap about not being allowed to stay here."

Danny nodded, remembering this from Valerie's rant. "She says that a lot to ghosts. Then she forces them away if they don't listen to her."

Phantom's face darkened and his arms crossed. "Well, I'm not listening to her and I'd love to see her _try_ to force me to do anything."

Danny smirked. "You wouldn't be the first to say that."

"But I'll be the first to actually do so."

He grinned at him. "I hope so. It's certainly a lot more fun with you here."

Phantom smirked. "You think today was fun, just wait till I actually settle in…Oh, crap!" Phantom jolted, his shock making him lose control of gravity so he fell to the floor face first with a thud.

"Phantom? You alright?" Danny leaned forward on his chair to see him better and got a groan for his answer. He smirked and shook his head. "You should be more careful when messing with gravity, Phantom."

"Shu uh," Phantom mumbled with his face still connected with the floor. _"Urgh. I hurt," _Danny heard him say clearly. Mindspeaking? _"Can you help me up? I'm too tired."_

Danny shrugged and crouched down beside him. He grabbed Phantom's arm—and released it quickly when Phantom yelped in pain. "Phantom?" Danny reached out for his arm again, but the ghost quickly snatched it away.

"Don't _touch_ it!" he cried. "That hurt!"

Danny frowned. "How did you get hurt?"

"Gee, I wonder," Phantom began sarcastically, holding his arm close to his chest. "Could it have been any of the dangerous activities I've done today?"

Danny glared at him. "You don't have to be snappy about it." He stood back up and searched for his computer lamp. "A simple 'Aragon hurt me' would suffice." He found the switch and turned it on, the light temporarily blinding him.

He heard a surprised hiss behind him and saw Phantom rubbing his eyes with a pained expression. Danny's eyes traveled to his right arm to find a white bandage wrapped securely around the arm, a red and green streak dirtying a sliver of it.

His eyes widened and looked at his own injured arm which was conveniently hidden by his own white sweatshirt, but he knew the overall look of it. He looked back and forth between the identical wounds for a moment before irrationally hiding his behind his back, just in time for Phantom to look up.

The ghost glared at him, his eyes blurry. "Didn't we go over how I'm sensitive to bright light, Danny?"

Danny shrugged, still hiding his arm. "Yeah, but that's not bright light. It's pretty dim."

"Not after being in near darkness for over an hour, it's not!

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," Danny apologized, looking away. "Anyway, what freaked you out before?"

Phantom frowned, looking confused. "Huh? …Oh!" His expression became one of nervousness. "We have to meet up with Sam tomorrow, don't we?"

Danny blinked at him. "_That's_ what you're afraid of? Phantom she can't and won't hurt you!"

Phantom waved his left hand. "No, it's what she wants me to do that's freaking me out!" He bit his lip and floated around the room anxiously. "I mean, for all I know, she could demand I stand up in front of a crowd of humans and give them a speech, or allow myself to be dissected, or worse! She'll ask me to help save _cats_ from trees!"

Danny raised an eyebrow, but shook his head and reached out to stop Phantom, avoiding his right arm this time. "Okay, calm down, Phantom," he said gently, "Sam's not going to ask you to save cats…uh, yet, I think…" Phantom made a face. "She'll probably just ask you to perform good acts. I don't know what, but nothing bad for you. She wants to improve a ghosts' image, so I'm guessing that's all she's going to ask for. And besides that," Danny suddenly glared a little at him. "Just what kind of person do you take Sam for?! She's not going to force you to do something you really don't want to do! She's not that kind of person!"

Phantom just looked at him for a moment before a look of understanding appeared on his face and he smirked slyly. He leaned into Danny's face. "You got a crush on that Goth girl, don't you?" he stated more than asked, smugness oozing from his voice.

"W-what?" Danny could feel his face flaming as he leaned away from him. "N-no! We're just friends!"

Phantom gave him space, but kept his smirk. He nodded wisely. "Yeah, there is that. If we want to get you two together, we're gonna have to find a way around that."

"Don't even think about it, Phantom! That is not what we want!"

"Hmm…" Phantom still looked thoughtful, though.

Danny scowled and turned away. "We don't like each other, so you can stop your plotting right now, Phantom. It won't work." He turned off his light and stumbled his way over to his bed, tripping every-now-and-then because of the darkness. Phantom just watched him calmly as he collapsed onto his bed. He hid a flinch at his wound getting a beating.

"I'm going to bed," he stated uselessly.

"No, you're running away," Phantom accused, but he sounded light-hearted and amused.

"Whatever." He pulled the covers above his head. "Don't forget you have to explain what happened to us tomorrow," he reminded, his voice muffled by the blanket.

He heard a light chuckle. "Of course."

"Hmm." He snuggled against his pillow. _"…Goodnight, Phantom…"_

_"…Goodnight, Danny."_

**I think I need to rewatch the Dp episodes to get a better grasp on Danny's actions and character. That last part was fun, but awful. Urgh.**

**Next chapter Jazz and Phantom have a talk, you finally get your answers about how and why, and other things. It'll probably take a week to upload. School and such a long chapter are going to make updates slower.**

**Again, I'm sorry for the long wait. I hope you all like this chapter!**

**That's it for now! Hope to see you in a week! Thank you for reading and please leave a review!**


	18. Half Dead, Half Alive

**Hello all! I really don't like school :P**

**It took longer than I thought to get this up--blame school!--but at least it's not another three months, right?**

**To the people who took the time to review!****  
****Waterdog: **It's not exactly a secret why Danny's hiding his arm, but you'll find out next chapter, so I'm not going to spoil it. Phantom forgot about Danny passing out from blood loss. He was confused and disoriented at the time, but he might remember it later. Vaguely. I'm glad you can see how close they're growing! That's mostly what this story is supposed to be about, so that's good. ;) It means I'm doing a good job. 'Course, I gotta make it a little bumpy otherwise it won't be as much fun.  
**Kirby77DP77: **Yes! In character! Take that self-doubts! lol Thanks :)  
**XthirteenX: **I really hurt Phantom, but you're right. It's so much fun! Phantom being childish is kinda like his quark, even though he is technically the smart one. It's kind of weird, but I like it. I forgot about Phantom and Danny getting a cold, but it'll still happen. The infections coming, though. It's actually kind of important to the plot for now. I can tell who _your_ favorite character is ;)  
**Thunderstorm101: **Hmm. I think Valerie will either meet Phantom again next chapter, or the one after that. I'm looking forward to it too :D I'm not sure about this, but I think I should have Phantom move out...I don't want to, because it'll subtract from how close it is to canon (not that it's very close to begin with). But Phantom living under the same roof as the top ghost hunters was pretty funny. But yeah, it's pretty dangerous for him, huh? Eh, maybe next story or something. You'll have to find out about the Fentons ;)  
**Kiomori: **Yeah, it's just a "little" cut. It can't take two teenage boys down (sarcasm). lol. Jazz is always there for her little brother...er, brothers :D I'm glad you like the moon thing! I don't know how I came up with it, but i found that I really liked it, so it stayed. It'll actually play a bigger role later on in the series. I'm not sure if I did the talk between Phantom and Jazz very well because...well, I'll explain it at the bottom. Phantom will find out about Danny later...Gods, you people really want that huh? lol :D  
**DP-shrine-in-closet-girl: **Aww, you really missed? That's awesome...er, for me, not so much for you :P I'm glad I did Jazz justice! I don't like her very much this time around, but ah well. The note was fun. I used to leave my parents notes every night, so I've had practice (even if the notes were for entertainment purposes only). Jazz and Phantom do talk, but it's so fricken difficult! They're not bending to my will! I had so much trouble with it! Darn them. Danny and Phantom talk a lot in here, though it's mostly explantions. Is Jazz your favorite character or something? :)  
**Hyperpegasi: **I really liked the window scene too. Jazz finding out...eh, who knows! We haven't taken a look inside her mind yet, but she knows something!  
**Donteatacowman: **Thanks for the review! :D You pretty much releaved my biggerst worry--ooc characters--and made me feel better about the story. Thanks! I'm really glad the halfa thing makes sense, too. I hope the explantion of what happened to Danny and Phantom makes just as much. Glad you like this story too, and thanks againt for your review!  
**Athena Fenton: **It's going to be a while before Jazz gets the whole story, but I agree. She won't settle for the whole dead twin thing. If anything, she's the one most likely to support Phantom's claim by remembering and telling Danny about his almost-death. Hint hint. lol  
**cherryblossom51: **lol. It is a weird combination, but that happens to me too! That and when I'm hungry. My body makes no sense ;) Sweet! The brother thing is what I'm aiming for, but I want it to be funny and entertaining too, so I'm glad I'm living up to my expectations :P lol. I really liked the ending, too. It made me feel better about the whole chapter. As for Tucker, well, he will only appear on the internet for this story. Just this story though. The story after this, he's pretty much a main character. I hope I can get him IC. I'm not usually very funny--meaning I can't make very good jokes like him. (Can you tell me the site? Apparently, Nicktoons doesn't show all of them. So please! I wanna see my favorite episode!)  
**xxbakaAkki: **Not really, but if it made you laugh, I'm interested. What's it about? Oh, and I'm glad you like this story! ;)  
**NinjaSheik and Arcy 911913: **Thanks! I'm glad you both like it again! Update is here!  
**Thanks again for reviewing! I was afraid I'd lost you guys from being so late :(**

**Well, here's the chapter you've all been waiting for. The chapter where you finally see what happened due to the accident! Be sure to tell me if it makes sense. I understand it, but I don't know how well I explained it. And holes! Tell me about logic holes! **

**Jazz and Phantom also have a talk, but they don't exactly talk, heart-to-heart. Trust has got to build! Eh, they're halfway.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom, but I do own this story and it's open for you readers to read it! Aren't I nice? lol**

* * *

Chapter 15  
Half Dead, Half Alive

Like yesterday, Phantom woke up before Danny.

The ghost halfa sat up, the sleeping bag falling away from him and an annoying yawn leaving him without his consent. He groaned and stretched his arms high above his head. His back cracked with a few audible pops and he sighed in a satisfied way as he lowered his arms. That actually felt good. Who would have thought sleeping and waking up could feel…refreshing?

Phantom shrugged and floated upwards into a standing position. He groggily looked around Danny's room. Danny's alarm clock read eight colon zero zero, but that didn't mean a whole lot to Phantom even though he lived in a tower full of clocks for the last fourteen years of his life. It just looked like eight O'clock to him. It wasn't like he knew how to tell time the human way.

But it was light outside and the room was bright enough to see by, so it was morning, right?

...Wasn't there something he was supposed to do in the morning?

Forgetfulness upon waking up wasn't an attractive aspect of sleep. It was really annoying.

Phantom sighed and tried to remember what he was supposed to do now. Danny wasn't due to wake up for a while, and that meant Phantom didn't really have much of anything to do with him. So it was something Danny wasn't included in. But what was that?

He groaned and scratched his arm absently. What was it?

He gasped and winced in pain when his fingers scratched a particularly sensitive spot on his arm. He looked down at it and frowned when he saw the stained white gauze. He continued to frown at it until his memory finally kicked in and he hit his forehead.

He was supposed to get a check up with _Jazz_. How could he have forgotten? This was kind of a big deal…he had to go even if he didn't want to…

Phantom sighed and reluctantly turned invisible and intangible. He gave one last look at Danny's peacefully sleeping form before flying through the door. He stopped in the hallway and began hesitantly looking for Jazz's room. She had said to come see her for a checkup in the morning and he knew from his exploration of the house yesterday that she was up by this time. Of course, he had avoided bedrooms and she had been in the kitchen at the time, but he figured he could still find her awake and preferably in the privacy of her room.

He refused to meet her in the kitchen today. He didn't want to risk their parents waking up to find him talking to their daughter early in the morning. He didn't want to get shot at again, thanks. He hoped Jazz had the same idea. He didn't really want to be in her room for a long period of time, though, either. He only felt comfortable in Danny's room so far. It would only take a few minutes, though, right?

He came to a door beside the bathroom and took a deep breath. This had to be it. He was about to enter Jazz's room. The concept of a sister was still a little weird to him, but he figured he would figure it out as it came. Meeting her for real, however, made him a little nervous. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to act around her. He hoped his instincts would guide him through it, because he sure as hell couldn't. Best to get it over with quickly, though.

Phantom nodded to himself and entered the room.

_There's...a lot of pink..._ was his first thought when he entered the room. Pink walls. He wondered why she had that. She didn't seem to be pink kind of person. Phantom thought she preferred blue. (AN-I don't remember very well what her room looks like, so I hope you don't mind going without the description.)

But he was distracting himself and he shook his head to dispel the thought.

Slowly, he turned to the bed and found the human girl.

Jazz was indeed awake—_Darn—_and currently reading a book while laying on her stomach on her bed. She was still in her pajamas, the blue ones she had worn last night. She looked very absorbed in her book and completely at ease, unlike a certain ghost floating above her.

Phantom took a deep breath—it had a strange calmly effect on him for some reason—and became visible. Jazz was too engrossed in her book to notice him, so he coughed gently.

That caught her attention. She jerked her head up in surprise. Phantom stiffened at the sudden action, still afraid she was going to do something he wouldn't like, but then she smiled gently at him and closed the book, placing it on her nightstand.

He watched warily her as she got up from her bed and held her hand out to him. "Hello. I'm Jazz. It's nice to finally meet you without unfortunate circumstances interfering."

Phantom raised an eyebrow at the big words and looked down at her hand. He grabbed it gently and they shook. "My name's Phantom," he told her, blinking in confusion when she brought their hands up and down. Danny hadn't done that. Was this just an extend part of the human greeting ritual? "Thanks for helping me...uh, Jazz."

Jazz smiled. "It's the least I could do for a hero."

Phantom looked at her in surprise. "What?"

"I saw a rerun of the news last night and I saw you saving a girl from falling. The media doesn't know what to make of it, but I think you're a hero."

Phantom blushed a little and looked away.

Jazz restrained a giggle at his modesty and sat down on her bed, patting the spot next to her. Phantom hesitated a moment before floating over and letting himself fall softly onto her bed, a little farther away than she had indicated. She didn't seem to notice and instead smiled softly at him again. She reached under her bed and pulled out a clear, blue, and red box. She set it on the bed and opened it.

"This is a first aid kit," she explained, pointing to the gauze and square packages. "People use these to treat patients when the hospital is unnecessary or when it would take too long for an ambulance to reach them. In your case, we'll use it because it is our only option." She looked back up at him. "I'll need to change your bandage and check for any signs of infection."

Phantom nodded and wordlessly held out his injured arm. Jazz carefully grabbed it and began unwrapping the gauze slowly. She was very gentle, almost treating him like he were fragile. He was content to just watch her in silence for now since the alternative was a lot of questions, but then she spoke up again.

"So, why did you save the girl?" she asked casually, trying not to make him feel like she was prodding.

Phantom frowned and tried to shrug. "It just felt like the right thing to do, I guess."

Jazz looked thoughtful. "And Aragon? Why'd you save him?"

"No one deserves to be dissected like that, even creeps like him," he told her. He wasn't entirely sure why he was telling her this, but he got a warm feeling in his chest when she smiled approvingly.

"I'm glad to hear it," she said softly and removed the gauze.

The old gauze wasn't as white as it had been last night. It was stained with green and red blood and Phantom thought for sure that his arm must be really bad off, but when Jazz removed the last of it, there was just a relatively small cut running along his arm.

He blinked in surprise at it.

Jazz smiled. "I told you, you won't heal as fast as a normal ghost, but you're still a quick healer. It probably stopped bleeding completely some time during the night."

Phantom looked at her. "You know I'm not normal?" he asked to confirm it and to bring it home to himself.

She nodded and held his arm up for closer inspection. "Yes, but not much else." Again she smiled gently at him. "You don't have to tell me anything right now. I can manage without all the answers. But if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm willing to lend an ear."

Phantom remembered her saying that in the note, but still didn't believe he would ever call her up on her offer. He nodded to her anyway, though. "I'll...I'll think about it."

"When you're ready," she added. She inspected his arm a bit more before shaking her head. "I don't see any sign of infection, but I'm not very experienced in this area. It could take a while for it to appear to the untrained eye."

"I don't think I'm infected," he said, giving his arm a look over when Jazz released it. "Aragon just bit me."

"There's bacteria in the mouth, Phantom," she replied. "Bacteria are what cause infection. If he bit you, then you most likely did get infected."

Phantom frowned and felt like rubbing his arm. "What'll happen if I _am_ infected?"

Jazz frowned thoughtfully. "If you are infected, then we'll have to cleanse the wound by using either rubbing alcohol or salt water, whichever is safe for ghosts." (AN-I'm not sure if salt waters such a good choice--it can poison the wound--but it's better than peroxide which kills all kinds of cells.)

"That's it?"

"Well, usually if a wound is infected and can't be cleaned, the infection will spread and the doctors will amputate the limb to save the rest of the body."

"Amputate?"

"It means to cut off whole or a part of the limb."

"What?!"

She laughed lightly and patted his hand. "Don't worry. It usually doesn't come to that."

Phantom shakily nodded, watching her with wide eyes as she took out more gauze.

They were quiet again as Jazz cleaned around his arm with some kind of sterile pad from the aid-kit thing. Phantom felt on edge, just waiting for her to comment about his abnormal blood, but when she did speak again, it wasn't about blood and it nearly surprised Phantom into gaping like a fish.

"So how was your day yesterday?"

"Uh…" Gee, what was he supposed to tell her? It was crap? It could have been better? The fight was actually exciting and he wasn't scared for his afterlife one bit? Her little brother just barely managed to make it bearable? It was the horrible day? What was he supposed to say?! What did sisters want to hear?

"Uh, it was fine."

Yeah, that should work.

Jazz frowned a little at his answer and grabbed some gauze. "Really?"

He laughed nervously and rubbed his neck with his left hand. "Um, yeah."

"I see." She began redressing the wound. "If you say so."

They lapsed back into the uncomfortable silence—on Phantom's part—and Phantom nearly hit his head at the awkwardness. It was fine at first, but he didn't like the quiet anymore. It hadn't been this difficult back when they had first…met yesterday. Then again, it was kind of a dire situation and all that. But really, the thing that was driving Phantom nuts was Jazz's silence when she _obviously_ knew something.

_Just ask about it already!_ He growled in his head. _You know you want to!_

Jazz didn't seem to pick up on his mental shout and continued to bandage his arm in silence.

He couldn't take it anymore.

"Would you just ask already?!" he snapped.

She looked at him in surprise. "What?'

"I have multi-colored blood, a heartbeat, I have to breath, and I fell through your roof yesterday! How can you not be asking a million questions?! What's wrong with you?!"

Jazz looked like she wanted to laugh, but thankfully got control of herself. She gave Phantom a serious look, one that had him calming down considerably. "I don't want to force you to tell me anything when you clearly don't want me to know."

He blinked at her. "You…don't want to know?"

She smiled slightly and returned to the wound. "Of course I want to know! But I want to hear it from you when you're ready to talk about it. I can tell it's important to you and I don't want you to have to tell me about it until you're comfortable with talking to me."

He continued to blink at her in surprise. "…That's it? No personal and demanding questions? No, what the hell are you and what are you doing here?"

"No. That's it. No questions."

Phantom blinked a few more times before attempting to gather his dignity by looking away and huffing. "Whatever. Just don't expect anything."

Jazz giggled. "I won't."

Phantom felt like huffing again, but two huffs were one too many.

They continued on in silence, but it felt considerably more comfortable for Phantom without the constant worry of an interrogation. He knew she had said she wouldn't do so in her letter, but he had trouble believing in that until she said so to his face. It was a great deal more relieving to know she wasn't going to demand answers and she wasn't going to dig them out of him.

When they finished, though, Jazz surprised him again by saying, "Please don't tell Danny about this."

Phantom stopped from flying out the door and looked back at her over his shoulder. "What? Why not?"

Jazz sighed and looked down. "I don't want to force you or him to tell me. I want him to come to me on his own time with this."

Ah, so she had connected them together, huh? Phantom frowned and turned back around. "He won't tell you anything, though. He promised me he wouldn't tell anyone, not even you. He's ready, but I say no."

Jazz looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "That may be, but it will be both yours _and_ Danny's secret in time. But for now, it's your secret and I don't want him to feel obligated to tell me unless you are alright with it. If he is aware I know about you, he will be one step closer to telling me."

Phantom frowned a bit more and tilted his head to the side. "He wouldn't break his promise."

"No, I know he won't, but I don't want this to tear him up inside. As long as he doesn't think I'm waiting for an explanation, he'll be fine keeping it a secret."

"So, what? We're going to keep these check-ups from him?"

"Yes."

Phantom sighed. "Alright. If you say so."

* * *

Danny awoke to a loud sneeze and to his cell phone ringing twelve feet away from his bed. He groaned and opened an eye. He lifted his head a little and looked around the room, spotting Phantom floating over his dirty pants from yesterday. He groaned and laid his head back down on his pillows.

"Phantom, can you get that?" he mumbled, snuggling against his pillow.

Phantom looked between Danny and the phone uncertainly. The ringtone, "it's my life" by Bon Jovi continued to play, getting louder and Phantom found himself nodding his head a little to the beat. (1) Hey, it wasn't like he knew how to "get it" anyway. Danny, meanwhile, pulled his pillow over his head and growled. He didn't want to get up _now_. What was taking Phantom so long?

Finally, when the song began to repeat itself, Danny couldn't take it anymore and threw his covers off himself. He stormed—and stumbled—over to his pants, mumbling under his breath about stupid ghosts who just stared at phones instead of answering them. He fumbled through the pockets until he found his cell. He glared groggily at Phantom as he flipped it open.

"Hello?" he asked—demanded.

Phantom just stared at him curiously, tilting his head to the side.

_"Danny?"_ Sam's voice came through. _"Were you still asleep?"_

"Uh, no. Of corse not, Sam" Danny denied, standing up a little straighter and ignoring Phantom's knowing grin. "I've been up for a while. What's up?"

_"Do you think you and your twin could come meet me in at the park in an hour?"_

Danny suppressed a yawn and looked at the time. 9:30. Why was it always nine thirty? "Alright, Sam. But why in an hour?"

She groaned in annoyance, causing static in the phone. _"Because my parents have decided to take an active interest in my life again. It'll be a while before I can ditch them."_

Danny half smiled. "Good luck."

_"Yeah. Wake up and tell Phantom not to take a detour."_

"Hey. I am awake!"

Phantom rolled his eyes and Sam snorted in the phone.

_"Right. Well, I gotta go. See you in an hour, Danny."_

"Yeah, see ya." He heard the click and shut his own phone.

Phantom took the phone away from him and studied it curiously, holding it an inch away from his face in his effort to miss nothing. Danny rolled his eyes and stumbled back to bed. He fell on it and was soon almost completely asleep…until he fell through his bed—again. He groaned in annoyance and crawled out from under it.

Phantom looked at him curiously as he climbed slowly onto his bed. "You okay? You seem a little more sluggish than normal."

Danny collapsed into his pillows. "Fine," he mumbled. "Just—" he yawned hugely "—peachy."

Phantom shrugged and turned back to the phone. "Okay. If you say so."

Danny's eyes opened and he frowned. That wasn't the response he was expecting. "What?"

"I said alright. Get your ears checked."

Danny scowled and sat up. "Well, if you really want to know about it." Phantom repressed his smug smile and faced his human again. "I kept falling through my bed and floor all night. Turning intangible, or whatever." Danny rubbed his incredibly sore back. "I'm surprised I can still move!"

"Ah." Phantom floated over to him. "Yeah, that happens to beginner ghosts sometimes. It should go away in a couple months."

Danny's eyes widened. "A couple months?!" he sputtered.

Phantom laughed.

"How did you put up with it?" Danny asked him when he quieted down.

He shrugged. "I was a baby when I died, remember? If it happened to me, I don't remember it."

Danny sighed and fell back, his left arm cushioning his head while his right ideally drew circles on the blanket. Phantom sat Indian style and leaned back "on" his hands in the air. They quietly watched the occasional joggers who ran along the paved sidewalks outside the window—or at least Phantom did. Danny was busy panicking and shaking his left arm, trying to make his arm reappear. Phantom couldn't repress a chuckle.

After a few moments of silence, Danny said, "Hey, why don't you tell me about your theory now?" He yawned and covered his mouth with his hand.

Phantom gave him a curious look. "Don't you want to go back to sleep?"

"If I go to sleep now, I won't be able to get back up a half hour later," he replied.

Phantom shrugged. "Are you awake enough to listen?"

"Of course."

"Alright, but you're going to have to accept what I say about us being halfas for this," Phantom conditioned, crossing his arms.

Danny frowned and pursed his lips. "Alright," he agreed, a little reluctantly, "but just for now. I need more time to think about whether you're telling the truth or not."

Phantom rolled his eyes. "You're going to have to get over your denial and trust me at some point, Danny."

"Yeah, but if what you say is true, then I'm too 'emotional' to listen to my common sense."

Phantom smiled a little at that. "That is true. You are emotional." Danny huffed a little. Phantom took a deep breath and brought himself down to Danny's height so they were looking each other in the eyes. "It's complicated, but do you remember what I said about what happens to ghosts when we reform? The first day we met?"

Danny frowned thoughtfully. "That we would have a really strong ghost right now if you didn't make them go away? Oh, wait, you _wouldn't_ because I wouldn't have turned on the portal if you weren't there so…no, your mentor—"

Phantom waved his hands around a bit and laughed softly. "Uh, no. That's not what I was talking about." Danny snapped his mouth shut. "To recap, we ghosts have a 'bonding' instinct when we are torn apart atom-by-atom. When we get torn apart, we will 'cling' to energies around us in order to help us reform. It usually doesn't affect the ghost any, even in the Zone—which is filled with ecto-energies—because it's only temporary then. But if there is another ghost around when we reform, it changes things. We'll latch onto each other and won't let go, causing us to bond, merge, or fuse. Take your pick, its all the same."

"Oh, so that's what would have happened if—Yeah, I get it."

Phantom chuckled. "Yeah, well, that's the easy part. My theory is that that somehow happened to us."

Danny frowned and tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean? You said if there was another _ghost_ around. Does it do that for humans too?"

"No." Phantom shook his head. "If a ghost were to reform around or next to a human, nothing will happen. The living don't release soul-energy so the ghost has nothing to grab onto, and if there was, it would be living soul-energy, and living and dead soul-energy don't usually go hand in hand."

"So how did that happen for us?"

"Well…" Phantom rubbed his neck. "That's the difficult part. Your soul half is alive and mine is dead, so they shouldn't have been able to connect…_if_ we weren't normal human and ghost. As a halfa human, you naturally release soul-energy because I exist outside of you."

Danny rubbed his forehead. "That sounds weird."

The ghost shrugged. "Eh. Anyway, there's also our connection as halfas to consider. That made it more natural for us to bond. So, when I was pulled through the portal, my instincts were activated and we bonded."

Danny gave him a curious look. "Okay…Then why aren't we fused or whatever?"

Phantom sighed. "That's what had me ditching the theory in the first place. But, the usual rule for halfas still hold true: I can't reconnect with you because my soul half is dead and your body and soul half are alive. Living and dead aren't very good co-existers."

Danny chuckled a little. "So I noticed."

"So because of all this, I believe that we still merged…just not all the way."

Danny frowned. "How do you mean?"

"Well, I think our soul halves merged halfway. Overlapping, I guess you could say."

"Overlapping?"

"Yeah."

"But what about all that stuff about the living and dead souls being unable to co-exist?"

Phantom shrugged. "We're halfas so that may not be true. Nobody really put any effort into finding out what would happen to us when we reform around each other. But if it makes you feel better, the portal probably killed you a little before we bonded."

Danny paled and gaped. "Uh, no. That does not make me feel better."

"Sorry." Phantom grinned sheepishly. "But, the overlap would explain how everything has changed for us."

"Oh yeah? How so?"

"Well, take my power level." Phantom willed his hand to smoke as if in preparation for an ecto-blast. He held the hand up for Danny to see, said human instinctively gave the energy a wary look. "Before the accident, I wasn't able to do this. It required too much soul-energy, and I didn't have enough due to half of my soul being unavailable. But now, I can. And if we overlapped, that means I have more access to our soul and have more energies to call on." He let the smoke dissipate and Danny relaxed a little.

The human scratched his neck thoughtfully. "Alright, I think I got that. But what about me? I can use some of that ecto stuff and shouldn't ghosts be the only ones who can?"

Phantom shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, see, that's because you're now half dead."

Danny's eyes widened and he straightened. "What?!"

Phantom flinched away a little. "Well, if half of you is half of me, what did you expect?"

"That didn't make sense!"

"Sure it does! Because half of you is me, that means half of you is dead since _I'm_ dead."

Danny groaned and hit his head. "Uh, my head hurts!"

"It works the same way for me. You're half of me so half of me is alive. That's why I have human needs."

Danny groaned again. "Okay. I can accept that…I think. But what about me being weaker than you? I can't fly, and I don't think I can make ecto-blasts. If we're both half alive and half…dead, shouldn't we be on equal footing?"

"No." Phantom shrugged. "Your _soul_ may be half dead, but unless we do that whole transforming thing, your _body_ isn't. It shows signs like ecto-blood and unstable ghost abilities, but it's still mostly alive. It can only take in so much soul-energy. Remember that ecto-water I made you drink? Also." Phantom smirked. "I've got more experience than you. Fourteen years worth."

Danny scowled. "Yeah, well, you're going through new changes too."

"Maybe." Phantom scratched his head thoughtfully. "Uh, we got a little off track…Oh! Also, remember our telepathic link?"

"Kinda hard to forget it."

Phantom chuckled. "Yeah, well, that's another thing. If we're half of each other, it's only reasonable that we can communicate like that."

_Yeah, and also share the same pain,_ Danny thought, resisting the temptation to rub his injured arm. "What about our…other forms?

Phantom sighed. "I don't know. The only thing I can think of is that we have to either be mostly alive—like right now—or mostly dead—like in our other forms."

Danny frowned. "That doesn't make as much sense."

"No. It could also have just been the portal. I mean, there were a lot of ecto-energies coming at us. It's possible it could have caused us to look like that and given us second forms." He shrugged. "I don't know. It's the only thing that doesn't fit, so I figure it's a separate instance."

He looked a little downcast and Danny found he didn't like that. He patted him on the shoulder and smiled when Phantom looked up. "Hey, you figured the rest out. That's pretty good. I mean, I couldn't have done that, that's for sure!"

Phantom smiled a little back. "Thanks." He sighed and shook his head, almost as if he were shaking it all off. He grinned a little at Danny, though it held a slightly bitter feel to it. "This is the part where you deny halfas being real and say that my theory can't be real either, though."

Danny frowned and looked away.

Phantom frowned as well and moved so Danny was again looking at him. His human scowled a little, but he ignored the look, leaning in a little to show how serious he was. "Why don't you believe in halfas, Danny? All the evidence supports it. Why are you denying it?"

Danny tried to look away again, but Phantom wouldn't let him. He finally growled in exasperation and pushed Phantom away. "It's none of your business!"

Phantom snorted and lightly crossed his arms. "Oh, trust me, Danny. It is very much my business, considering your practically denying my existence."

Danny frowned at him. "What?"

Phantom sighed and looked away. "You're right. Let's forget about it for now. We got to leave in less than a half hour to—"

"A half hour?!" Danny yelped, sitting up straight with a jolt. He jumped off his bed and began running around his room, frantically looking for clean clothes. "I'm supposed to take a shower this morning! And I got to eat! And take out the trash! Oh man! I'm going to be late! Ah! Sam's going to kill me!"

He rushed out of the room, leaving Phantom to blink blankly at the now empty room.

"—to meet up with your girlfriend," he finished lamely. He shook his head. "Humans."

* * *

**(1) He didn't have a ringtone in the show, but I felt "It's my Life" really fits Sam, and besides, I needed to distract Phantom with something.**

**Tada! So, did it make sense? Gods, I'm nervous. Let me know if you're confused about something so I can either fix it or explain it better! Personally, it sounded soo much better in my head. Did anybody think that's what happened?**

**Sorry Phantom's and Jazz's talk wasn't very satisfying, but I wanted Jazz to give the boys a chance to come to her when they're ready...and I want her and Phantom to work together secretly to make sure Danny doesn't get in trouble. I just like that idea! But still, her reasoning still holds! They should come to her because they're ready, not because they feel obligated (forced). That's one of the things I liked about her in the show. I know I don't react well when I'm forced into something. **

**The end is supposed to show that there's still tension between Danny and Phantom. Hope I did that well. It's pretty important later on.**

**I don't really like this chapter; too boring. But I had to do it, so it'll put up with it.**

**Oh, and there's just a few more chapters (5 or so, I think). I'm excited, but...no, I'm excited. Let's finish this and get the next story up! And quick! I got ideas and I want to get it down on paper! Hehe. ^_^ **

**Nah, I'll miss this story. The ending is also fun, so it's not like I want to just finish this story in a rush. But I'm ready for Tucker's entry and can't let myself work on it yet, so I'm a little frustrated.**

**Thanks for reading! Leave a review if you've got the time...and if you want me to be happy! (I think I'm hyper…I am tired…)**

**P.S. I'll probably edit it better tomorrow.**


	19. Brothers?

**Now, don't get mad. I know I took forever to update again, and I'm sorry. This time, reasonable excuse. THIS FRICKIN' CHAPTER IS F***ING ANNOYING!** **It was so hard to write, I was practically pulling my hair out in frustration just trying to get it to work! And trust me, I tried to make it work. I don't know how many times I'd written some of the chapter only to have to scrap it later because it was so horrible. :( So much work just to throw it all away....As it is, I had to redue the whole chapter a total of three times. It may appear a bit disjointed as a result. And I didn't even get to the point that I had planned! Stupid chapter...**

**To the reviewers who gave me motivation to keep persisting:  
Waterdog: **Phew. I'm glad you were able to follow through it. That had me worried ^-^ Danny and Phantom, unfortunetly, won't get over things too soon, as shown in this chapter. That's difficult for me to write, though, because I generally can't stay mad for more than five minutes...anyway, Phantom will have that moment where he finds out about Danny's injury and how it's identical to his own, but it's a few chapters away (would have been two, but this one was a pain). Sorry, but you'll have to wait to see what I have planned for that.  
**XthirteenX: **lol. Glad it wasn't too confusing :) Yeah, school. Hate it. Wish it would burn. Know that wouldn't solve your problems because it'd come back to haunt you. I hate school ;) Aw, thank you! ;D Sorry it's so late.  
**Kiomori: **Jazz isn't as difficult to keep in character as Sam, but she is hard. It's nice to know I got her down, though :) lol, I liked that part too. Phantom is turning out to be a lot of fun to write. I'm worried about him though (character wise). Yup, Sam. Gosh she's hard! Hopefully, Tucker will be easier (he'll be in the next chapter!) Maybe I'm one of those writers who find it easier to write guys than girls. Hmm.  
**xxBakaAkki: **you say that, and I was so flattered, and then this happens! Stupid three month breaks...Glad you liked the chapter :D I like the Jazz moments too, and this chapters longer than the last. That one was like eight pages and this one is fourteen, so yeah, it's considerably longer. Mostly because I wanted to get to a certain spot that I never reached, but eh. lol. I guess not ;)  
**DP-shrine-in-closet-girl: **heh, I guess I can understand that. And actually, Tucker will be included in the next chapter :) I had originally intended him to be in the one after the next one, but this chapter just went crazy and gah! Stupid chapter...There is a lot more to Jazz's involvement, but yes, you will have to wait ^-^ I like how you explained your take on halfas, and that's how it is, too. I'm glad I'm doing right with Danny and Phantom, but I have to change it, make it more intense, and that's where i start to get nervous. Like the begining of this chapter. Tension, not so good with the subtleties. Bah. Glad the theory came out right! This chapter is mostly in dialouge, and I'm starting to think that's my weakness...  
**Hyperpegasi: **Yup, Tucker. He'll be showing up in next chapter too. Jazz is kind of fun to write and I'm glad she comes off IC. It's hard to tell sometimes when I mess around with the chapters so much. There's more tension in this one, and I hope I didn't overdue it or...under-due it...I'm kind of scared about that, but I don't want to take it out. Ah well. :D  
**Donteatacowman: **I guess she would be nosy...but I'll try to get rearrange her character a little so that she is. I've got time and I already have an idea :) Good thing about the theory, and I'll try to work on explaining the soul energy part better. Unfortunetly, I don't think I'll be able to until next story. They're just not likely to go into explanation mode anytime soon, but I'll try to give brief explanations here and there :) Yeah, Phantom's great ;) I had a lot easier time with the other scenes, but hopefully this one works too. Sam has got to be the hardest character for me to write, I swear... You're welcome! Thanks for the review! :D You're suggestions really do help.  
**Spiritmind675: **Sorry it lost you, but I don't really think why they ended up the way they are is too imporant, so it's not that big of a deal. Well, in my opinion. If you want a clearer explanation, I can give you one, though. Thanks!  
**Itzika: **Wow, thanks! :D I loved reading your review! It was both fun and uplifting :) Big motivation booster. Made me smile a lot! I can't tell you what I have planned, but you're pretty close on quite a few of your ideas ;) Thanks for the dust! lol  
**Spectral Ninja: **I was just hoping not to confuse anybody with the explanation and here I find that it's _awsome_. Which is awesome! Haha, thanks! Yeah, they are a lot of fun, huh? I couldn't leave them being unequal like that, but you bet they're gonna have a lot of trouble with the duel pain thing! It won't be until later that it becomes an issue though. I like Jazz, and I wanted to make sure she had that "caring sister" thing going. I'm glad she's coming out the way you like her! I checked out your story, and it is kind of similar, but that's so cool! Phantom's _kind of_ like the bad guy too, which is interesting for me to read. The story is--I should leave a review in your story instead of writing one in mine, though, huh ^-^ Yeah...I should really do that. I'm glad you like my story, but don't go belittling yours! It has potential to be just as good, if not better. At the very least you have better description than me ;)  
**Mi Bi Looney: **Glad you like it and yes, it will definetly get that far. My Grandpa really liked it and he wanted me to continue it, so if nothing else, this story will be completed and before March too because it is not going to take me a whole year to finish a story! (mini rant brought to you by stupid, stubborn chapters. Stupid stubborn chapter...) Sorry it took so long that it made you doubt its continuation. :) Chapters up, and the next will hopefully be within the next week or less(I've got some of it done already, but I'm working on another story, so who knows?)  
**OmniSayian, SuppiGirlAnimangafreak, Ninja Sheik, and RandomReader: **I couldn't think of a whole lot to say, but I really appreciate your reviews! Thanks a lot (and yay Phantom! Danny's cool too, though, right?)  
**Again, thank you all! I got my inspiration back for writing this chapter by rereading your reviews, so thanks. You know, the big kind of thanks. (Wow, I talked a lot this time)**

**Like I said, this chapter was a pain. I don't know why it was so hard, but I just know it was. I blame Sam. I don't get her character well enough :(**

**The first half of this story has a real depressed feeling to me because I had written it while I was grieving my cat (January will never look the same again). I don't know if you guys will feel it, but that's how it is for me. I tell you this, because despite what it may seem like, I'm a bit depressed right now. We got her eleven or so years ago, so it's really difficult for me. She may have been my muse too which is probably why this chapter started going sour when we realized her days were numbered. For the longest time, I'd counted on her to protect me for ghosts...**

**And you know, it's _just_ my luck that my sister's kitten decides to go into to heat near that time too. Darn vocal kitten sounds just like my cat...**

**But anyway, enjoy! **

**I don't own Danny Phantom. Just this little story about two boys, struggling to accept each other and all that they symbolize...**

* * *

Chapter 16  
Brothers?

Danny shivered from the cold and pulled his jacket closer to himself to ward off the rainy chill in the air. It was sprinkling a little at the moment, but it was ignorable. However, he hoped they wouldn't be outside for very long. Sam didn't mind the rain, but Danny wasn't too comfortable staying out in it for who knows how long. Besides, it could pick up and start pouring at any moment. Growing up in Amity Park had made him suspicious of the unexpected and unpredictable, in this case, the unpredictable weather.

Danny sneezed violently, dislodging some of the accumulated drops off his hair. Oh yeah, and his cold had finally kicked in. Really, him and Phantom should be inside instead of walking outside in the rain, but Danny didn't want to complain and Phantom didn't seem all that bothered by it. Besides that, Danny forgot his cell phone at home when he rushed out to go meet Sam. They were now halfway to the park so there wasn't much point in turning back to get it just so they could reschedule. They could do that when they met up with Sam later.

"Achooo!" Phantom was the one to sneeze this time, and since Phantom refused to walk securely on the ground, preferring to defy gravity and float in the air instead, it was pretty funny to see. The blast from the sneeze pushed him backwards, almost causing him to do a flip.

Danny chuckled. "Nice one, Phantom. You know, that wouldn't happen if you were walking _on _the ground."

Phantom glanced at him for a moment before he returned to staring blankly up at the sky. "I know, Danny." he replied tonelessly.

The little bit of humor Danny had gathered, vanished as he frowned at the gloomy looking ghost. At first, he'd thought Phantom was just as fascinated with the rain as he was with everything else in the human world, but that didn't seem to be the case. Either the dark skies were dampening Phantom's mood as well, or he was still upset about what happened that morning.

Danny suddenly stopped. The ghost floated a little farther ahead before he realized Danny wasn't walking beside him anymore and turned around to see what was wrong. Danny scowled and shook his head. "Are you still mad about that?" he demanded harshly of the ghost.

Phantom blinked and raised his eyebrow. "What?"

"That whole halfa thing!" Danny shouted, throwing his arms out. "I mean, I can understand you being irritated and all, but did you really expect me to believe what you said without giving it some time and thought?! I barely know you and you expect me to believe you over my parents?!"

"Uh, Danny--"

"They're smart people! They study ghosts for a living so they should know what they're talking about, right?! Why should _I_, their scientifically challenged son, question _them_?"

"Danny--"

"If they said ghosts have evil little bones in their bodies, why shouldn't I believe them? I mean, _I've _never seen the insides of a ghost, so how the hell should I know?!"

"Well, that's a little disturbing, but, Danny--"

"And they're my _parents_! They have my best interests at heart, they wouldn't, you know, lie to me about dying or anything. I have a right to know about something like that, after all!"

"Yes you do, but, Danny--"

"And _you_!" Danny pointed an accusing finger at Phantom's face, causing the ghost to go cross-eyed. "You come in and suddenly my whole life as I've known it is uprooted and tossed around like basket ball! You give me some scientific sounding crap about 'halfas' and how I died--but my parents didn't tell me--when I was a baby and that it's perfectly _normal _for me to have a ghost that looks just like me because, you know, _half of me is **missing** _and it all sounds _soo _reasonable, but how the hell should I know if you're lying or _not_?! I'M NOT A FRICKIN' GHOST EXPERT!"

Danny and Phantom stared at each other for a moment before Danny doubled over and started panting.

"Wow," Phantom said slowly. "That's, uh, a lot of stress build up right there. Feel any better?"

_No, _Danny thought unhappily. Out loud, he said, "Yeah."

"Good." Phantom suddenly flew over Danny and turned intangible, allowing all the rainwater that had been clinging to him, to fall onto the human. It wasn't much, but it was more than the sprinkling of rainwater Danny had been getting.

Danny yelped and sputtered, shaking his head. "What was that for?!"

"I thought you needed to cool down," Phantom explained cooly. He returned to his normal levitating level, which was slightly above Danny's eye-level, and crossed his arms, a slight frown on his face.

Danny shook his head, spraying water droplets everywhere. "You jerk."

"Hey, _you _were the one yelling at me for no reason just a second ago." Phantom gave Danny a dirty look. "If you would have just _listened_ to me before blowing off into a rant, I would have told you that you and you're denial were farthest from my mind. Well, pretty far, anyway."

Danny snapped his mouth shut with a click. "You…you weren't thinking about it?"

"No."

"Well then, why did you look so depressed and upset?" Danny demanded.

Phantom sighed. "It's not really any of your business, Danny, but I was thinking about my mentor."

Danny blinked. "Your…mentor…"

"Yes."

Danny slapped his forehead. "Well now I feel like a jerk."

"That's because you are one," Phantom said smugly.

Danny dropped his hand and sighed. "Well, I'm, um, sorry."

Phantom smirked and leaned in closer. "What was that? Speak up, I can't hear you over the rain."

"I said I'm sorry!" Danny shouted. He sulkily crossed his arms and looked away with a pout. "Even if it was your fault for being so sad," he whispered.

Phantom gave a mirthless laugh. "Uh, no. It's your fault for keeping things bottled up inside."

"Whatever…So, specifically what were you thinking about?"

Phantom's glowing eyes dimmed a little. "Oh, just about the first trip I'd taken into the human world."

"What?" Danny's eyes widened. "I thought this was your first time being out here."

"It is."

"But you said--"

"That one was in the _future_." Danny gaped up at him and the ghost sighed. "It's a power of my mentor's. He has the ability to travel through time." Danny continued to gape at him. "...Well, the observants needed my mentor to do something and he wasn't comfortable leaving me behind with no protection. So he took me with him into the future human world." He shrugged uncaringly. "It wasn't a big deal, really. I didn't know when or where we were at. He brought me there and then told me to stay put behind a dumpster. It took him two hours for him to return, but he apologized for taking so long." (1)

"Why are you remembering this now?" Danny asked, frowning.

"Because it was raining while I waited."

"Oh…" Danny shifted uncomfortably. He opened his mouth to try to comfort Phantom, but closed it again because he didn't know what to say. His mentor--who, Danny was guessing, Phantom looked up to like a father and who had betrayed him just two days ago--had left him to stay out in the rain for over two hours. What were you supposed to say to that?

Phantom cocked his head to the side and said softly, "The rain isn't as big a deal to ghosts as it is to humans, Danny. I don't feel it at all. And I've been bored for longer than two hours before."

"But why would he make you wait out there like that?" Danny asked angrily, crossing his arms. "That's, like, almost abusive."

Phantom rolled his eyes. "No it's not, and ghosts flew in and out of his tower all the time. If they flew in at the wrong time and found out that I was a halfa while I was unprotected, I would be killed without a second thought. If I went with him to wherever he was going, who knows what would have happened? The observants only send him when things are really desperate and dangerous. He was protecting me by telling me to stay in a safe area."

"Just like he was protecting you by sending you to stop that invasion?" Danny questioned.

Phantom's eyes narrowed and his lips thinned. "Yes, actually. Besides your possible death, if those ghosts had invaded, they would have formed--"

"A big bad ghost, yes I get it," Danny interrupted, rolling his own eyes. "But he could have sent someone else too, right? Like one of these 'observant' people?"

"The observants don't do anything and besides, they're _his _boss, not the other way around."

"Ah ha, so they have authority! _They_ could have ordered all the ghosts to back off, couldn't they?"

Phantom gritted his teeth. "They _could_, but they _wouldn't_. They don't _do _anything."

"They obviously do, otherwise your manipulative mentor wouldn't have to take orders from them," Danny pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but they wouldn't have stopped an invasion! That's what underlings are for!"

"Ah, so you admit your mentor used you as an underling?" Danny asked, smirking in triumph.

Phantom, however wasn't smiling. His hands fisted at his side. "Clockwork didn't use me and he's only looking out for me best interests," he growled firmly.

Danny's smirk vanished and he frowned at the ghost. Phantom was shaking slightly and his eyes were glowing brighter than usual. Suddenly, Danny realized he had overstepped an invisible line and was actually hurting the ghost. He bit his lip and looked away when he noticed "rainwater" had found it's way into Phantom's eyes.

He didn't mean to push things that far. He was just…upset that this "Clockwork" person seemed to be using Phantom. And the ghost refused to see it. Well, maybe he did see it, but he didn't want to believe it. After that little display, Danny was _sure _that Phantom really looked up to Clockwork, if not as a father, then at least as a very close relative and who wants their close relative to betray and/or use them? The guy had taken Phantom to the human world for the first time--future, present, or future, it didn't matter--and had told him to sit still in the rain for a whole two hours. Surely a more caring mentor would have at least had Phantom sit inside a building, right? Clockwork was just lucky Danny wasn't there or…

But then, why should he care? Phantom was just a ghost--albeit, one with a strange connection with him--and before two days ago, he didn't even know he existed. Did it really matter what some guy did to him who knows how long ago? Even so, Danny knew him _now_...and he'd inadvertently hurt him.

"Uh, hey, I'm sorry, dude," Danny said slowly. "I'm sure your mentor has a reason for why he did those things."

Phantom sniffled, either from the cold or from…something else, Danny wasn't sure. "Oh yeah. He _always _has a reason for why he does things. The trouble is figuring out what they are." Danny glanced back at him as the ghost looked down at the ground. "You never really know what he means, what he's thinking, or whether he's telling you the truth or just half of it when he talks to you…you just never know why he does the things he does…"

Danny bit his lip and shifted uncomfortably. _This is really tearing him up, huh? What do I do? _"Ah, you know how adults are," Danny tried to joke, chuckling weakly. "They're weird like that. You can never understand why they do something. Just like they don't understand us. It's like a balance!

Phantom glanced up at Danny and gave him a wry smile; a forced one. "Can't ruin the balance."

Danny forced a smile too. "Yup. It's a lot of fun confusing each other anyway."

Phantom nodded absently then looked up at the sky. Danny followed his gaze and realized it had stopped sprinkling. Too bad Phantom still looked depressed and Danny was about ready to explode again from all the confusion and stress.

_Alright, we need to get our minds off our problems, _Danny decided to himself.

Phantom looked at him with a raised eyebrow and Danny blushed, realizing he had broadcasted the thought. "And how do you propose to do that, Danny?" he asked.

"Well…" Danny looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "…What do you do to relieve stress?"

Phantom shrugged. "I don't know. Fly, mess with the observants, try to prank my mentor…"

Danny snapped his fingers, catching Phantom's attention again. "Alright! Let's fly!"

Phantom cocked his head to the side. "_You _want to fly?"

Danny blushed, but he held up his arms. "Why not? We'll be late otherwise, anyway. And besides, I may like it, this time. You know, when I'm not in mortal danger or anything."

Phantom hesitated a moment before he smiled for real. He flew underground and reappeared behind Danny. He hooked his arms underneath Danny's armpits and whispered in his ear, "You're always in mortal danger when you're flying, Danny. That's what makes it so much fun."

Phantom flew into the air with Danny, and the human temporarily lost the ability to speak.

* * *

At nine O'clock in the morning on a Sunday, you would expect the city park to be empty and everyone to be sleeping in or doing whatever it was humans did on their spare time, like Danny seemed inclined to do that morning. At least that's what Phantom had expected. Instead, there were a lot more people there than he was comfortable with. He'd never been around so many of the living in all his afterlife, and if Danny hadn't been standing calmly beside him, he would have retreated to a safe place a long time ago.

Phantom glanced at said human. The boy was leaning against the tree, still trying to calm himself from the wild flight that Phantom had taken him on. _I swear, he's so weird. One minute, he's yelling at me because he's way too emotional for his own good, the next he's getting mad about something Clockwork did to me that he didn't approve of, but then the next, he tries to make me feel better at the risk of his own discomfort. This is PMSing times three…_He really did appreciate it, though. The flight had helped to clear his mind and it had been fun to fly with Danny…until it came to landing, anyway.

Phantom sighed and wrapped his arms around himself. Danny or no Danny, he felt rather naked with all these people around, even though he was currently invisible. Of course, not having his cape or anything else that could serve as his usual cover may have something to do with that. It was hard to tell which, but it was probably both of those combined.

There actually weren't a lot of people in the park--just about twenty or so, and they were all spread out. There were six people who were jogging the paths in and out of the park for whatever reason humans did weird things; seven kids were playing loudly on the playground with four parents or caretakers watching them carefully or carelessly, depending on their preferences; and three teens off to the side who were trying to get a white and green, familiar looking gun to work…

Phantom gasped and ducked as a green substance--humanized ecto-energy--fired out of the ecto gun while it was pointed at him. Luckily for the ghost, the wannabe ghost hunters were inexperienced and had unsteady hands, and the shot flew off harmlessly into the woods. Even so, the shot came close enough to him that he could feel the hum of the ecto-energy buzzing through the air as it passed him. His fingers twitched as he restrained his fight or flight response.

Beside him, Danny yelped and fell to the ground in surprise. His eyes widened and he looked wildly around for an enemy. The teenagers who were trying to be something they apparently had no talent for, laughed at his reaction, high-fiving each other at their "success" and making some degrading jokes at Danny's expense.

Phantom and Danny glared harshly at them. Phantom straightened from his "duck" and Danny got to his feet, dusting himself off. The teenagers continued to laugh mockingly as they began to walk away. One of them suddenly ran forward and stopped some distance in front of the group. He exaggerated a gasp as he looked up at the sky and fell to the ground in mock fright, covering his head with his hands as he "trembled". It didn't look at all funny to Phantom, but the guy's buddies laughed it up.

"Jerks," Danny growled as he continued to glare at the group of idiots.

"You know them?" Phantom asked, crossing his arms and glaring at them as well.

"They go to my school, but other than that, no," the human admitted, finally looking away from them. He looked up at Phantom, knowing where he was because of their connection. "Hey, Phantom, do you think you could…"

"Way ahead of you, Danny," Phantom said with a smirk. Unfortunately, Phantom had barely moved an inch when the teenagers suddenly screamed, one of them really high-pitched. The boys raised an eyebrow as the jerks ran away from some bushes in fright. They exchanged looks--or seemed to, since Phantom was invisible--before simultaneously running/flying over to the berry bushes.

Once there, Phantom and Danny looked at the dwindling shapes of the teenagers then down at the bushes. They were pretty large for bushes, but some of the leaves had begun to fall off, making it seem a bit smaller. Even so, the bushes were pretty dense and Phantom couldn't see anyone--ghost or human--hiding in the bushes.

"I don't see anything…" Danny said. "What about you, Phantom?"

"Not a thing, but it's pretty difficult to see in there."

"The idiots probably just got spooked by a bunny or something."

"Or a cat,"Phantom added.

"Maybe."

Phantom lost interest in searching the bush and instead turned his attention to the berries. There weren't a whole lot, this being fall and all, but there were some. He floated a little ways away from Danny to investigate them further. Phantom cocked his head to the side and plucked one of the few berries off the bush. He looked at it closely, rolling in around between his thumb and index finger. It felt smooth and squishy. He remembered seeing some animals eating them and wondered what it tasted like.

He was about to pop it into his mouth when he heard Danny gasp and the branches rustle. Phantom instantly dropped the berry and looked in Danny's direction to see what had happened, but his human wasn't there. He frowned and floated over to the spot cautiously. He heard rustling and pained whining coming from inside the bush. Quickly, he turned himself invisible and flew into the bush. What he saw made him raise an eyebrow and smirk, his worry unwarranted.

(2)

Danny was indeed in the bush, but he wasn't alone. Sam was also there, and currently smirking in amusement. The human girl appeared to be completely relaxed inside the spiky berry bush, not concerned by the sharp branches at all, though she did have a few scratches. Danny, however, was the opposite. He was trying desperately to avoid the branches to no avail and already looked like he'd gotten into a fight with an angry porcuppine.

Phantom chuckled at his misfortune and became visible. He stayed intangible, however, so he had no trouble whatsoever with the branches. "Having trouble, Danny? Need some help?"

The human boy glared enviously at the intangible ghost as he tried to brush some branches away from his head and neck. "No, I'm _not. _And no, I _don't_."

Phantom shrugged and closed his eyes, reclining on his back and allowing more branches to pass through him harmlessly. "Suit yourself."

Danny scowled and pushed a branch violently away from himself, only for the branch to come back with a vengeance. He grunted at the impact and sagged in defeat at the hands of a berry bush.

Phantom smirked and hooked his hands behind his head. "You could do this too, you know. Soon as you get better control over your new powers, anyway."

"Yeah, whatever," Danny grumbled, shifting again.

Phantom peeked an eye open to see his human look pointedly away from him and at Sam. The Goth girl was looking at them with an amused smirk on her pale face, clearly having seen their little exchange and enjoying it. Both halfas blushed in embarrassment and Phantom closed his eyes again.

"You two seem to be getting along well," he heard Sam say. "You two are already acting pretty brotherly, if you ask me."

Phantom snorted quietly at that. She should have seen them a half hour ago.

"Uh, yeah," Danny agreed weakly, probably rubbing his neck.

Phantom rolled his eyes behind his eyelids before opening them back up to look back at the humans. "Yup, me and Danny are like two peas in a pod. Mind telling us why we're in a bush?"

Sam shrugged. "I just wanted to scare Danny a little, and besides, this is the most private place in the park at the moment."

"You sure you're not just hiding from your parents, Sam?" Danny asked with a smirk.

Sam smiled mysteriously. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. At any rate, why were you two so early?"

Danny grinned and Phantom couldn't help smiling a little too. "We flew," Danny answered.

Sam's eyes widened a tad bit. "Flew? You can fly, Danny?"

"Well…" Danny rubbed his neck helplessly.

"Nope," Phantom answered for him, his smile becoming a smirk. "He can become lighter and control his center of gravity, but he flies just about as well as a rock. Kind of a good thing, though, because I think he's afraid of heights."

Danny scowled at him. "For the last time, I'm not afraid of heights, Phantom!"

"Right, that's why you _didn't _start panicking when I went more than two stories high."

"You were about to fly into the billboard!"

"I was going to fly _through _the board."

"Not from where I was…uh, hanging…"

Sam cleared her throat, recapturing the boys' attention. "Yeah, I'm sure your guys' early morning adventure was fun and all, but can we get down to business?"

Phantom raised an eyebrow. "Here? In the bush?"

"Sure, why not?"

Phantom glanced at Danny out of the corner of his eye for a moment before shrugging. "Alright, fine. What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, first…" Sam looked at Danny and asked, "How did your parents and Valerie take Phantom rescuing Paulina yesterday, Danny?"

Danny cocked his head to the side and glanced at Phantom. "Well, Valerie was more interested in ranting about Phantom having the nerve to backtalk her, but I think they were all mostly confused." Phantom frowned and sat up, listening more closely. Danny looked at him and shrugged, slightly apologetic. "You're the first ghost they had ever faced who actually cared about another human's life and also the only ghost willing to make a compromise. Instead of changing their ideas, though, they think you're trying to fool them into thinking you're some sort of nice ghost right before you attack them or something."

"But I _am_ a good ghost," Phantom protested.

"_We _know that, Phantom," Sam said, crossing her arms and getting a thoughtful look on her face. "But no one else does. They're holding onto the stereotypical image of evil ghosts who'll hurt anybody and everyone to describe every ghost they see. And the hunters aren't the only ones either."

Phantom grimaced. "This whole prejudice thing is really starting to get annoying. I risk my butt to save that girl and all I get is suspicion?" He huffed and crossed his arms. "Not cool."

"Yes, but I didn't say that _everyone _thinks that, Phantom," Sam pointed out with a slight smile.

Phantom raised an eyebrow at her and Danny frowned in confusion. "They don't all believe Phantom's out to get them?" Danny asked, almost incredulously.

Sam sighed. "Don't you watch the news, Danny?"

Danny coughed uncomfortably, but didn't answer.

"Yes, some people actually believe Phantom saved Paulina for the sake of saving her," Sam confirmed. "But…urgh, it would be easier to just show you." Sam took a weird purple backpack off her back and began digging inside of it.

Phantom's eyebrows rose and he tilted his head to the side, giving the strange backpack a curious look over. It looked kind of like the tarantula that had bitten him the other day…No wonder Sam got so mad. She obviously liked spiders enough to carry one around…

"You were all over the news last night, Phantom," Sam was explaining, rescuing Phantom from looking at the backpack any longer. "The news was going crazy, trying to get the full story, acting like a bunch of excited bees who'd just had their hive disturbed." Sam rolled her eyes, and pulled out a rectangular shiny piece of technology from the purple spider. She gave it an annoyed glare before tossing it to Danny. "Jenny downloaded the broadcast onto that, but I don't know how to work those things."

Danny raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't know how to us it, but you brought it here anyway?"

Phantom tried to snatch the shiny thing out of Danny's hands, but Danny reacted faster than him and pulled the device close against his chest, out of Phantom's easy reach. Phantom scowled as Danny smirked triumphantly at him. Still, Phantom's ever-curious eyes returned back to the device, waiting patiently for it to come out of it's safe haven.

Sam ignored their antics, though she rolled her eyes a little. "I was hoping you could get it working, Danny. Since you talk to the meat-lover so much, I figured some of his techno obsessed mind would spill over to you."

Danny frowned thoughtfully and inspected the object. "Well, he does talk about his PDA a lot, but it never made a lot of sense to me. I've never had one before…" His voice trailed off and his eyes widened. "Oh. I forgot to tell you, Sam!" He grinned excitedly and exclaimed, "Tucker's moving here!"

His lapse in concentration was exactly what Phantom was waiting for and the ghost quickly snatched the "PDA" out of Danny's hands, though the human didn't seem to notice or care. Phantom smirked in satisfaction, but paused, wondering whether to pay attention to the conversation about this "Tucker" person or to explore the new wonders of the PDA.

_Eh, I'll multitask,_ he decided.

Sam's mouth dropped open to form an "O". She gave a small smile and said, "Oh yeah? Why and when?"

"His dad's company is moving down here and they'll be here in about two weeks," Danny answered.

"Why would they move here of all places?" Sam wondered, crossing her arms. "It's a ghost terrorized town. The company would have to be crazy to come here willingly. Businesses have had to shut down because of all the ghost problems, for Pete's sake!"

Danny shrugged. "I don't know why they're moving here, I'm just happy they are. Now I'll finally get to show him around town and hang out with him!"

That caught Phantom's full attention. He looked up from the PDA and frowned at Danny's excited smile. "Wait. Who is this Tucker person?"

"He's Danny's internet friend," Sam explained. "They met way back when they were six during a field trip. They have been keeping in touch through the use of technology ever since."

Danny nodded. "Yeah. Tucker really loves his technology and knew how to access the internet since he was four! He always carries around some form of technology wherever he goes and his worst nightmare is having to write with pencil and paper." He pointed to the PDA in Phantom's hands. "He usually carries around his PDA and is an expert on it."

Phantom raised an eyebrow and looked down at the PDA before handing it back to Danny. "Ah. I see," was all he said.

"So do you think you could work it, Danny?" Sam asked, getting back on topic.

Danny shrugged. "I don't know. Like I said, I've never messed with one. Maybe I could, but it might take a while and I might end up messing something up in the end. We should ask him instead."

Sam sighed. "You just want an excuse to talk to him, don't you?"

Danny laughed sheepishly and rubbed his neck. "Maybe." Sam snorted. "Ah, come on, Sam! I haven't talked to him since that accident with the portal! I said I'd tell him about it and I never did!"

Phantom jolted upright and looked closely at Danny. "Wait. Tucker that one guy you were talking to on that box thing?"

Danny tilted his head to the side. "The…computer?"

"If that's what it's called."

"Uh, yeah. I was talking to him before I went into the portal too. In fact, he was the one to convince me to go try to fix it."

Phantom's eyes narrowed. "He was?"

Danny nodded. "Yes." He looked at Sam with large, pleading eyes. "So, can we please go to the library or something? I owe him an explanation."

Sam crossed her arms over her chest. "There's not much point in asking how to work the stupid PDA if we're just going to get on a computer anyway."

"Ah, Sam…" Danny pleaded.

Sam sighed. "Danny--"

"SAMMY!" a high-pitched female voice yelled.

Sam's eyes widened and she sunk lower to the ground. "No, no, no! What are they doing _here_?!"

Phantom looked at her questioningly before turning himself invisible and flying out of the bush. He looked around for the person who had been able to scare Sam. He flew a few feet in every direction, but still couldn't find them. He frowned and scratched his head, perplexed. He'd heard them yell, so--

"SAMANTHA!"

Phantom spun around just in time to see two brightly dressed people step out from behind a tree. He cringed at the clearly aristocratic apparel and suddenly understood why Sam didn't seem to like them. _Way _too cheerful for a Goth girl, especially _this _independent Goth girl.

Phantom gave them one last look before he flew back into the bush. Danny was peeking through the branches and Sam was currently scowling at everything. Phantom cleared his throat, catching the humans' attention again. "Very bright people. Who are they?"

"My parents," Sam said with a growl.

"They have different views on how Sam should dress and behave," Danny answered Phantom's inquisitive look.

"Ah." He frowned thoughtfully. The woman had looked familiar… "Oh! Yeah. I remember seeing the Mom one time."

Sam frowned at him. "What?"

Phantom laughed uneasily, not liking the girl's narrowed gaze on him. "Huh, you know, mentors. Never careful about who they spy on."

Sam's eyes narrowed a bit more, but luckily, Danny came to Phantom's rescue. "Now what are we gonna do?" he asked, diverting attention away from Phantom. "If they see me with Sam outside of school, they'll put out _another _restraining order on me but we can't stay in this bush forever. At the very least, they'll probably check to see if you're in here."

Sam groaned and rubbed her forehead. "Great. Just great. How are we supposed to get out of here unseen?"

Phantom and Danny blinked for a moment before looking at each other with identical, playful grins.

"I think we can manage that," Danny said.

Sam raised and eyebrow in confusion before her face cleared and she smirked as well.

* * *

Sam gasped and clung tighter to Phantom. She heard the ghost grunt from the pressure and tried to relax her grip a little to ease his discomfort, but found she had trouble doing so, though, because they were _five stories up in the air. _Not only that, but Phantom's arm wrapped around her waist was the _only _thing keeping her airborne. Sam had never been this high outside a building or plane before and she found the experience both frightening and…exhilarating.

A bird passed by beneath them and she watched it in awe as it swooped down to land on the clock tower in the center of town. The other birds already on the tower chirped a greeting to it before squawking and scattering in fear as Phantom flew over them all. Few birds flew to Phantom's height and Sam continued to watch them fly in a seemingly haphazard pattern as they tried to get away from the "threat". One bird did a startling dive towards the ground, drawing Sam's attention back to just how high they were and…was Phantom's grip slipping?!

Phantom hissed as Sam once again squeezed his arm tightly. He sighed and said, "Gees, between you and Danny, it's a wonder I still have arms. What's with humans and heights?"

Sam glared at him, but relaxed her grip once more. She glanced at Danny and raised an eyebrow in concern when she saw his face extremely pale and his eyes open to about twice their normal size. "Danny?"

Danny tore his eyes off the ground and looked at her, though it was clear his eyes were struggling not to return to seeing just how small the cars were. "Yeah, Sam?" he asked weakly.

"You're afraid of heights?" she questioned, unable to believe it. She remembered him always exclaiming how great it was to fly with Valerie on her jet board.

Phantom burst out laughing and Danny scowled at his twin, punching his shoulder lightly, though more like a tap than any real sign of great annoyance. "This is all your fault," he hissed to the ghost.

Phantom smirked and shrugged his shoulders, causing the humans to gasp as he inadvertently jerked them around. "If that makes you feel better, Danny."

"It doesn't," Danny replied with a scowl. Phantom gave him a smug grin.

Sam blew a stray strand of hair out of her face and inspected the twins before her critically. The two of them were very odd. It wasn't just that they were no longer fully human or ghost, it was also their relationship as twins. As far as Sam knew, they acted like twins and they certainly had a lot in common, but the problem was they were _too _alike. There were times when she felt like she was seeing double when she looked at them, even though they looked dissimilar enough. In fact, if she didn't know what she was looking for, she was sure she wouldn't be able to see the resemblance between them. Were they really _just_ twins? Or were they hiding something? Their demeanor around each other had changed somewhat too. Had they talked about whatever it was? What were they keeping from her?

"Hey," Phantom suddenly said. "Are we there yet?"

Sam looked around, but it was Danny who pointed and shouted over the sudden gust of wind, "Down there! The building with all those stairs and statues! That's the library!"

Phantom nodded and Sam was introduced to another important aspect of flying: landing.

Sam's breath caught in her throat as Phantom suddenly dived towards the ground, her hair blowing crazily behind her. She instinctively pulled herself against Phantom, as close as she could, causing the boy to wince at the pain his arm was suffering.

The cars weren't looking nearly as small as they were before. Sam wrenched her gaze away from the rapidly approaching ground and instead looked at Danny, desperate to take her mind off their fall. The human twin had his eyes squeezed shut as tightly, his eyebrows drawn together in a pained expression, imitating Phantom's.

"I'm not going to drop you, guys!" Phantom shouted over the wind, his eyes squinting against the wind. "Loosen up! I can't feel my fingers anymore! And how is that even possible?!"

"Slow down and we will!" Sam shouted back, glaring at the ghost rather than the ground.

"We're almost there!" he retorted. "Slowing down will just prolong the experience!"

"I don't care how fast we go!" Danny suddenly yelled, his eyes still squeezed shut. "Just get me back on the ground before I hurl!"

"Just a few more seconds, Danny," Phantom said, trying to sound comforting, though it was kind of hard when you had to shout to be heard.

Danny groaned and buried his face between Phantom's neck and shoulders, his black hair whipping into Phantom's face. The ghost stifled a sneeze and lifted his chin up to escape the windblown hair.

Sam hesitated a moment before reaching out a hand to pat Danny on the back reassuringly. "We're almost there, Danny!"

Danny peaked a blue eye open at her, but didn't respond otherwise.

Finally, after what seemed like more than a few seconds, Phantom slowed their descent until he was hovering a few feet above the ground.

"Alright, earthbound humans, the ride is over," the ghost boy said loftily. "Thank you for flying Air Phantom and we hope you had a wonderful flying experience. Now let go of me before I drop you!"

Danny instantly let go and fell to the ground. He sighed in relief before he rested his forehead against the pavement, breathing in lungful gasps of air as if he would never breath in the dirty scent of the alleyway's ground again.

Phantom rolled his eyes and grumbled to himself, "Why does he do that? It makes me feel so guilty…"

Sam snorted and released Phantom. She fell gracefully to the ground in a crouch before standing back up to glare lightly at the ghost. "Maybe if you wouldn't have flown so fast, he wouldn't be so scared."

Phantom frowned and cocked his head to the side. "Fast? That was _not _fast. I was gliding on thermals half the time."

"_That _was fine, it was when you went to land that you went too fast," Sam explained with a scowl.

Phantom snorted and crossed his arms. "I had to go fast. If I didn't, it would take too long to get down here and he would freak out even more because it was taking so long."

"I'm not saying you had to go at a snails pace, Phantom," Sam growled, copying his stance. "I'm just saying you could have gone _slower_."

Phantom shook his head. "My pace was just fine! Danny was--"

"_Please _stop talking about me as if I'm not even here," Danny interrupted, standing up and giving them a dark look. "And stop arguing, too. I already have a headache, thanks."

Phantom and Sam glared at each other one last time before looking in opposite directions.

Danny sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Whatever. Let's just do what we came here to do." He turned around to head towards the front of the building, but paused when he realized something. He spun around and grinned at Phantom. "How about you phaze us through, Phantom?"

The ghost twin's shoulders sagged. "Haven't I done enough? First I'm a clock, then I'm a carrier ghost, and now you want me to create doorways? When's my five minute brake?!"

Danny winced. He held up his hands in a placating motion. "Whoa, cool it, Phantom. It was just a suggestion."

Sam smirked and said, "Looks like he's finally grown a backbone. Either that or his fight with that dragon finally gave him some much needed self-confidence."

The ghost instantly bristled and glared at her. "Just what is that supposed to mean, Goth girl?" he demanded hotly. "I'll have you know I have plenty of backbone! I faced down over half the ghosts in the Ghost Zone!"

"Oh yeah?" Sam asked. "Then may I reminded you of yesterday when you were too scared to let me see your _finger_?"

"Uh, guys?"

Phantom huffed and replied, "That's different. You're creepier than all those other ghosts put together."

"Guys…?"

"What did you say?!"

"Guys!"

"You heard me, Goth--"

"GUYS!" Danny finally shouted.

"WHAT?!" Sam and Phantom yelled back.

Danny jerked his thumb towards the entrance to the alley. "We're kind of exposed here. Shouldn't we save the arguing for when we're in a more _private _place?"

"I thought alleys were pretty private?" Phantom commented.

"They are, but not when you're yelling."

Sam scowled. "Whatever. Are you going to phaze us in or not, Phantom?"

The ghost hesitated a moment before he sighed and dropped listlessly to the ground. "Actually, I'm kind of tired, you guys. Can we take, like, two minutes to relax? Pushing gravity off you guys and flying us all here is tiring work for ha--for me."

Sam frowned at his little slip, but since Danny didn't react to it, she let it go. She exhaled softly and sat down on the alley, too, facing Phantom. Danny sat down beside his twin, their relaxed poses eerily similar. They both sat Indian style and leaned back against the wall, making it easier for Sam to compare just how similar they looked to each other again.

The Goth pursed her lips. _If they're not careful…_ "Hey." The twins looked up at her with identical inquisitive looks. "Where's your cape, Phantom?"

Phantom grimaced, but it was Danny who answered. "He lost it when he fought that dragon ghost yesterday."

"Oh." Sam winced at Phantom's sad expression. It apparently meant a lot to him. "Sorry."

Phantom shrugged. "It's alright." He gave a small smile to Danny. "It had a lot of painful memories attached to it."

Danny looked away uncomfortably and didn't respond.

Sam sighed and crossed her arms, leaning back against the wall. There was something going on between those two, something they weren't telling her about. And sure, it probably was just twin business, but she wanted to know. They were confusing her greatly, and she didn't like being confused.

Sam breathed deeply before standing up. The twins looked up at her for a moment before they followed her example. "We can just walk through the front door," she told them. "It's no big deal. Phantom can just go invisible until we're out of sight or something."

The twins exchanged looks before they shrugged. "Lead the way," they said.

Sam scowled. It was definitely getting annoying. No way could twins do _that_ that many times. They were undeniably hiding something. And she was going to get to the bottom of it, too.

* * *

**And it's over! Yes! Stupid little chapter! It's done! Now, to more exciting things...oh, wait, I'd cut this one in half...well, I'm half a chapter closer to the more exciting things!**

**(1) I almost took this out. There's reason for it, though, so I left it. Besides, that little scene between Phantom and Danny was interesting, right? As for how Clockwork could be so "cruel" to Phantom...he knows everything...That's all I'm going to say!  
(2) This is really stupid, but I was bribed: "Danny's ghost is really weird-Trance's little brother was here." He wouldn't leave me alone until I let him write a sentence and then he got upset with me erasing it. Then out comes the Christmas candy :D Little brothers are pains, but they have their advantages. They're better than older ones, anyway. For example, my oldest one is going to force me to watch all six Star War movies because someone blabbed I hadn't seen them yet...somebody...help...me...**

**Two serious notes: One--there are four--or five--more chapters to go. It was originally going to be four, but then this chapter got to be too long and too difficult, so now it's five, unless I change a few things. Two--I got my Word program back! Yes! I don't know why it stopped leting me type, but I missed it sooo much. Maybe typing will be easier. Also, I'm determined to finish this story both before my other story and before March (no way is it going to take a whole year!)**

**Like I said, this chapter was very hard, and in my disorganized mind's eye, it's very, um, choppy. Like a frankinstein chapter. I need other people's views before I can see it in better light, either the good or the bad kind. Then, I'll probably edit and change a few things. I just want this chapter done and out of the way, though!**

**Oh, and has my writing changed over the last almost-year? Like has it gotten better, worse, or is just the same? I want to make sure I'm improving, but I can't do that unless I know if I need to work on something...**

**Thanks for reading! Sorry it took so long, but please leave a review!**


	20. Purpose

**Hey everybody! Yeah, it's been a while, but I'm working on another story and I'm trying to take turns between them.**

**To the reviewers:  
Thunderstom101: **Really?! That's so cool! I've never actually met a twin before, so sorry. Well, actually, I babysat two little boy twins, but they were seven and fought more than anything. Thanks! Hope this one is just as much.  
**xxBakaAkki: **lol. You gonna do it again when this one pops up as an alert? Makes me feel appreciated ;) Alright, I'll keep it a secret. Well, this isn't soon...but do I still get some fanart?! lol  
**Donteatacowman: **haha, lol. I laughed at that part too, and I'm the one writing it! Really? They were kinda stale to me, but then, I've been working on it for three months...(Points for me for knowing what alliteration means! Hah, _take_ that, English teacher!) Well, maybe you'll see how it develops in this chapter. It has foreshadowing in it. I don't know about that, but I can't help feeling Phantom likes to argue. Eh, that's how his character developed. I had no control! I didn't, but I'm glad you did! You're welcome!  
**Kiyi15:** lol. Good news is, it's a series kind of story, so there will be more after it. Meaning, it'll be going for a long time ;) Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.  
**Kiomori: **Yeah? The flight was actually fun to write, though I had some problems with it. lol, yeah. I hid in a bush from my parents once before. If my older sister hadn't given me away, I SO could have gotten out of doing the dishes...lol, here Tucker is! I had a lot of fun with his reaction and I hope you have as much fun reading it ;) Nope. She's getting suspicious alright, and it won't be long until she starts acting on her suspicions...well, actually, it'll be a while. I can't say, though, 'cause that'll be spoiling it. You could probably figure it out by yourself, though.  
**dragondancer123: **lol, thanks again!  
**Spectral Ninja: **You're welcome and i will eventually get around to reviewing it. I'm just a huge procrastinator, and my time is kind of divided fully by school and my stories. Have no fear! I will find the time! ...One of these days. lol, yeah. That's my goal! Glad they're developing like that. They won't merge, but I'm hoping they'll eventually act like one person in two bodies. I don't know about what I'm going to do with where Phantom's going to live, but I have a few ideas in that department.  
**JackieDanielStark: **hahah, whew hoo! Another addicted fan! lol. It's cool. I should mention when he's invisible and when he's not more. As for the name, yeah, can't do much about that. Overexposure to the story may help, though ;D Thanks! It's a fun story! And I know! My mom and brother looked at me like I was insane or something...  
**Thank you guys! It means a lot to me! I was really nervous about that chapter.**

**Alright, this is like the second half of the one before, but it's got it's own themes, too. Like Tucker. He's here. I wasn't too sure about this chapter, but I feel a lot better about it now that dragondancer123 helped me correct it. Sounds and flows better now :D**

**I don't own Danny Phantom. It should be obvious, really. This story has the kid split in two, for instance ;)**

* * *

Chapter 17  
Purpose

Sam leaned casually against the computer table as Danny typed away on the keyboard. She watched with a raised eyebrow as Phantom curiously pulled a book off of the bookshelf. The book he grabbed had a red cover and it looked like it was about cougars, but she didn't think Phantom was interested in what the book had to offer because the ghost twin seemed to be reading the book upside down and backwards…

Sam chuckled softly and looked down at Danny. "Your twin's a little weird."

"A little?" Danny inquired with a chuckle. "Try a lot. He's like a kitten—but don't tell him I told you that." He looked up at Sam with a smirk. "He hates cats. Something about them being guardians or whatever."

Sam raised an eyebrow in interest. "Really? He follows ancient Egyptian beliefs, or is it a fact that ghosts and cats really don't get along?"

He shrugged and returned to the computer. "Don't know. I just know he finds being called a cat offensive."

"Of course I do. Those fleabags have attitude problems." Danny jumped a few inches in fright. Phantom, now floating next to him, laughed loudly. "Jumpy much?"

Danny huffed, blowing his bangs up out of his eyes. "When you're around? Always."

Phantom smirked. "Because I'm a ghost, or is it something personal?"

"Both. You're a potent combination."

Phantom chuckled, looking pleased.

Sam smiled a little and crossed her arms. "Did you find the broadcast yet, Danny?"

"Yeah, right here." Danny clicked the mouse twice and the monitor's screen was soon playing the broadcast from the night before.

* * *

"Good evening, Amity Park! This is Tiffany Snow with the daily Ghost Report.

"As you may know, no ghosts were sighted on Friday or for most of this morning. However, this afternoon, a large ghost fight took place over Berkley Square between two ghosts and the Red Huntress. Luckily, no harm came to the buildings or citizens below, but young Paulina Sanchez was threatened by this ghost."

A picture of a large black dragon with yellow eyes filled the screen. The dragon was in a steep dive as it emerged from the clouds, its wings tucked in close against its body and the scales gleamed from all the moisture they had acquired. Its jaws were opened wide and its forked tongue reached for a black blur in front of it. The picture shrank over to Tiffany Snow's right shoulder.

"Fortunately for the young girl, another ghost came into the picture and fought the dragon before any lasting harm could be dealt to Miss Sanchez. The ghosts were distracted long enough for the Red Huntress to arrive on the scene and force the ghosts away. We go to Lance Thunder with Paulina Sanchez at the scene of her attack:"

The box expanded to fill the whole computer screen as a picture of Paulina appeared. The Latina girl twirled her hair shyly with her index finger as a microphone was held up to her face. Sam scowled at Paulina's fake timidity, but didn't say anything since the twins were too absorbed in the footage to appreciate the commentary.

"_Well, the dragon ghost—I think the ghost boy called him Argon—said I was perfect princess material and that I would make a wonderful bride. I could tell he was a ghost so I tried to run, but these two ghosts came and scooped me up before I could get away! They carried me to the top of a building and then they just dropped me! I was sure I was going to die! But then…" _Her eyes got big and dreamy as she stared off to the side of the frame. She clasped her hands together and held them against her chest as she sighed lovingly. _"The ghost boy came out of the sky like an angel and caught me_

Sam glanced at Phantom and scowled when she saw him blushing to the tips of his ears. She looked at Danny and wasn't too happy to see him looking slightly jealous. She growled inside her head and mentally pulled at her hair. _She's shallow! Don't fall for it! Get a grip on your hormones!_

"_When Argon demanded he let me go so that I could die he said 'No!' and then Argon transformed into this big, ugly dragon!_

"_The ghost boy wasn't afraid of him at all, though, and he quickly flew me down to the ground. He told me to hide, and then he went off to the fight the dragon all by himself! He returned later with this little kid who had gotten in Argon's way and told him to stay put too. Then he flew off to save the Red Huntress when it looked like Argon was going to eat her!_

"_He didn't come back," _Paulina continued, sounding disappointed. _"But I know he's safe!"_

"_So you believe that this _ghost_ is actually a hero, miss?" _Lance Thunder's voice asked.

"_Of course! Weren't you paying attention?" _Paulina demanded. She caught herself and added sweetly, _"I mean; he saved me. Whether you all believe so or not, he is most definitely _my_ hero."_

The camera turned to Lance Thunder who held the microphone to his own lips. _"That's all on the Berkley Square__,__Tiffany. Back to you." _

The video faded away until Tiffany Snow was once again on the screen. "And there you have it, straight from the victim's mouth. Not much is known on the ghost she referred to as 'the Ghost Boy'." A picture of Phantom in his black cape appeared in the corner. His neon green eyes glowed brightly underneath his hood and a daring smirk was set on his face. "But the Hunters say, 'they don't believe that he has good intentions for our town and we advise that the town be on the lookout, he is only trying to get us to let our guard down before he betrays us.'"

"That's all for now. More at eleven."

"In other news, an old lady sues the Guys in White for—"

* * *

Sam pursed her lips as the video reached its end and the triangle play button returned. She didn't like that it was only _Paulina_ who supported Phantom as a hero. There wasn't much she could do about it, though. Everyone—or nearly everyone—in Amity Park believed ghosts were mindless blobs of evil intentions. But she believed that would soon change if she was able to convince Phantom to accept her idea.

"Wow," Phantom finally said. "She got his name wrong. It's Aragon."

"Is that all you have to say?" Danny asked, looking at his twin incredulously.

"What do you want me to say?" Phantom retorted, frowning uneasily. "I've never watched these things. How do humans usually react to these broadcasts?"

"They usually listen to them," Danny said slowly, his brows furrowing in confusion. "But not always."

"Oh."

Sam cleared her throat to capture the twins' attention. "What about them saying you were a bad ghost? I mean, they just assumed you were the bad guy, even though Paulina said you'd saved her."

Phantom scowled. "That's actually starting to get really annoying."

"Do you have a plan to change that, Sam?" Danny asked curiously.

She nodded. "Yeah, but it's dangerous and Phantom has to be completely willing to do it. A _hundred _percent willing. It won't work unless he actually _wants_ to do it."

"How about you tell me what it is and we'll see?" Phantom demanded impatiently.

Sam glared at him until he began to shift a little behind Danny. "I want you to do what you did yesterday, Phantom."

The ghost frowned for a moment before he froze. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly.

"I want you to become a protector of Amity Park," she elaborated. Phantom's eyes widened and he began to shake his head no. Sam held up a hand imploringly. "Look, a ghost protecting the people instead of harming the city is the most effective way to capture their attention," she tried to reason.

But Phantom just continued to shake his head. "No. I can't."

"But why not?!" Sam demanded, slamming a hand on the table and leaning towards Phantom desperately. "You saw that broadcast and heard what Paulina had to say! If you did more of what you did yesterday, people will actually start seeing ghosts as the sentient beings that they are! How can you just sit back and let an opportunity like this pass by when you could be helping your people?"

Phantom frowned, a pained, troubled expression on his face. "My 'people' turned their backs on me when they all but chased me out of the Ghost Zone; why should I help them? And it's not like _your_ people have done anything for me that would earn my sympathy anyway."

"But you did it yesterday! You saved Paulina and you barely knew her. Or was it her pretty face that 'earned your sympathy?'"

"Yesterday just happened," Phantom said, his frown deepening. "I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time when I saved that girl. I…I don't know why I saved her. It just felt like the right thing to do at the time…"

"Then do the right thing _now_," Sam urged. "Prove that ghosts can be good or bad just like people and save humans from being mercilessly attacked for pointless reasons."

Phantom shook his head again and Sam felt like pulling at her hair. "Look, I barely managed to fight Aragon yesterday. I got hurt and I had to wait for one of the Hunters to come and help me." He looked away. "If I did it again, I don't know if I'd survive. I've never really fought ghosts before…"

Danny put a hand on Sam's shoulder and she forced herself to calm down. She wanted desperately for him to _want_ to do this. She wasn't getting anywhere by trying to back him into a corner. Truthfully, for him to fight because it was the right thing to do was the only way for Amity Park to accept him. If he only did it because he felt threatened or obligated to do so, they would catch onto that and his accomplishments would mean less in their eyes. The way she saw it, they had to prove that a ghost could be good before people would be willing to give all ghosts a chance. Phantom was the _only_ ghost who had been willing to rebel against the stereotype, to take a chance in saving a human and stand up to his own kind. He was probably the only one who would. If he would just _try_…

She took another deep breath, releasing the tension in her muscles. Phantom looked at her warily, but relaxed a little when she seemed to have calmed down.

"Alright, Phantom," she said softly. "I won't force you to. All I ask is that you give it a shot. Or at least think about it." Phantom frowned. "…Please?"

He hesitated a moment more before reluctantly nodding. "I'll think about it. But I wouldn't hold your breath. I've never fought ghosts before, and I'm not too keen on doing so now."

"I've fought ghosts before," Danny spoke up. Phantom looked up at him sharply, his eyes narrowing. "I could come with and help you fight and--"

"No," his twin interrupted, shaking his head vehemently. "You _can't_."

Danny frowned in confusion and anger. "What? Why not?!"

"We've been over this already, Danny," Phantom responded, giving him an angry and stern look and receiving a defiant one in return. "You can't get hurt otherwise we'll _both _get hurt. You have to stay as far away from battles as possible! I can't protect you _and_ the city from the ghosts. I have no intention of dying just because you decided you wanted to play hero, too."

"I can take care of myself!" Danny snapped angrily. "I was just fine before I knew you existed and I'll be fine even with you here _now_! I don't need or want your protection!"

Phantom growled low in his throat and his eyes flashed brightly. "When are you going to _get _it, Danny?" he demanded, leaning forward so that only an inch separated their faces. "Whether you believe me or not, we're connected, and that means we're responsible for each other! You weren't responsible two years ago and I was nearly killed because of it!"

Danny frowned, but didn't back down. "What do you mean, Phantom?"

"What do you think, Danny? I know you were there two years ago. What happened to nearly kill _you_?"

Danny was silent for a moment before his eyes widened in understanding. "Oh."

"Yeah. 'Oh.'" Phantom turned his head a little to the right and pointed to a scar on his neck that Sam hadn't noticed before. It looked exactly like the one Danny had. But why would Phantom have the same scar as his twin? "You 'fought' a ghost two years ago when you weren't needed and almost got your jugular cut. I was by Skulker's lair at the time and I just barely managed to get back to my mentor's place before your blood loss made me pass out. I almost died—completely—that day because you didn't stay away! And why not? Because you wanted to be the hero!"

Danny shook off his shock and pushed Phantom away. "I almost died then, too, Phantom! And that was _two years _ago! I'm not as stupid as I was back then! I can protect myself now, thank you very much!"

Phantom snorted. "Right. Forgive me for not believing that you are capable enough to defend yourself from an out of control cat, let alone a ghost."

"What?!"

"You heard me! I'm not willing to take the risk of you getting your butt handed to you and causing me harm in the process just so you can have a few moments of glory!"

"For your information, Phantom," Danny growled, his eyes flashing like Phantom's had before, but blue rather than neon green, "you're not the only one who—"

"Boys!" Sam yelled, finally unable to take any more confusion or yelling. "That is _enough_! You're _twins_, for goodness sake! Stop being so stupid!" The boys continued to glower at each other for a moment before turning their heads away from each other. Sam sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I don't know what's really bothering you two, but whatever it is, you better fix it soon before I _make _you fix it. And you won't like that. Got it?"

They said nothing, and just continued to glare at nothing and pissing Sam off further.

"I said, _Got it_?!" she shouted, this time slamming her hand down on the table.

"Got it!" the twins chorused, their voices syncing unnervingly, though they didn't change their identically sullen expressions.

Sam repressed her shiver and forced the two to look at her by grabbing their shoulders and shoving. Phantom winced away from her slightly, but calmed down after throwing a glance at Danny. She grinned at them, causing them to flinch. "Good. Now, Phantom, why don't you want Danny to help you? He may be clumsy and has the worse aim _ever_—"

"Hey! It's not that bad! I hit Skulker on my first try!"

"—but he can still be very useful in a ghost fight," she finished with a slight smirk.

Phantom just shook his head and sighed tiredly. "No. He probably is, but I can't let him get hurt."

"Why not?"

"Self preservation?" Phantom offered as if it were obvious, even lifting an eyebrow and holding out his hand. "Danny is my only lifeline to life. If he dies, then I'll cease to exist."

Sam frowned, not liking that. The way he said it, it sounded like the only reason he wanted Danny to stay safe was to keep himself 'alive,' and not because he personally cared about him. She glanced over at Danny to see his reaction. Said human boy looked more annoyed about them talking as if he wasn't there than about Phantom casually stating he was protecting Danny for his own sake.

She sighed and crossed her arms, giving Phantom a curious look. "So the only reason you don't want Danny to help you is because you don't want to risk death? You don't actually care about his well being?"

Phantom blinked and stared thoughtfully at Danny. Eventually, Phantom shrugged with a sigh. "I still don't know Danny that well, you know. I've only known him since _Friday_…but no. I'd rather he didn't get hurt at all. If he got hurt because of my ghost fighting—which is still up in the air about whether or not I'll actually _do_, by the way—then I would quit. I don't think humans are very skilled with their healing abilities…"

Sam sighed. She looked at Danny to counsel him, but was surprised to see him looking uneasily at Phantom. He had his left hand placed lightly against his right arm, hugging it gently to himself. "Danny?"

Danny shook his head. "Huh? Oh." He frowned and licked his lips. "But, uh, what about our transformation thing, Phantom?" he asked almost desperately, but also like he was trying to be casual. "You said that you're weaker unless you're in full ghost mode and you can't do that unless I am in my…other form too. And I can't go walking around looking like a ghost. I might as well just help you."

Sam raised an eyebrow at Phantom who shook his head.

"I may not even do this, remember," he reminded them pointedly, crossing his arms over his chest. "I still don't see a reason for risking my own life for some strange town that's too trigger happy for its own good and paranoid to boot. But if I do decide to do so, I _can _manage without you, Danny. It's not like I can't manage in the form I've 'lived' in all my afterlife, after all. I don't _need_ you."

"Oh yeah?" Danny questioned, crossing his own arms. He flinched for some strange reason and uncrossed them. "This coming from someone who doesn't even know how to answer a cell phone?"

"When am I ever going to need to answer a '_cell phone_' in the middle of a fight?" Phantom demanded.

"Hey, you never know."

"Right. I'm pretty sure you can't fight ghosts with it, though. Got anything better, O'talented one?"

"…You can't pee into a toilet!"

Phantom blushed before scowling and pointing accusingly at Danny. "You can't fly!"

"What does that have to do with your aim?!"

"What does that stupid bowl have to do with _anything_?!"

"Without that 'stupid bowl', people would have to pee _outside_!"

"What's wrong with that?! More space and less mess to clean up when you miss!"

"Dude, that's disgusting!"

"Says yo--"

"_Why _are you two shouting about _pee_?!" Sam shouted over the bickering boys, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"He started it!" they yelled back, pointing at each other. They glared at one another and Phantom knocked Danny's finger away so his was the only one pointing. Danny scowled and did the same.

Sam sighed and rolled her eyes as the boys continued their childish actions. "_Pointless _bickering aside," the twins stopped and looked at her sheepishly. Phantom pushed Danny's finger away one last time, "do we agree?"

They raised an eyebrow simultaneously. "Agree to what?" they asked.

"The toilet?" Phantom asked.

"Or the cell phone?" Danny asked too. "'Cause I still think that's pretty important."

Sam breathed deeply to calm herself. "_Neither_." Danny and Phantom shrank back a little. "Do you, Danny, agree to let Phantom fight by _himself_?"

"Um…can I get back to you on that?"

Sam sighed. "Fine, whatever, Danny. You have until Phantom makes his decision." They sank into an uncomfortable silence, each thinking their own thoughts. "Hey, why don't you talk to Tucker now, Danny?" Sam suggested suddenly. "I think we could use a distraction right about now."

Phantom groaned.

"What's your problem now?" Danny demanded of him as he started typing again.

"Nothing, nothing. Just talk to your stupid friend."

Sam groaned and looked up at the sky. _Why can't boys ever _talk_ about their problems? They should just shout it out to the world, make things less complicated._

* * *

_In a town forty miles away…_

"Ha! Take that! And that! Yeah, taste my highly upgraded virtual laser! Hiya!"

_Bing! _

"_You've got mail," _a female voice purred from computer speakers.

Tucker raised an eyebrow and paused his game. The macho cyborg on the TV screen froze in the middle of humbling a certain disrespectful—but powerful—android. Tucker sighed and set his controller down. _Figures. I finally get some time off from all the packing to play some video games, and someone decides to bother me with junk mail._

_Bzzt. _

"_You've been buzzed," _the same female voice purred, the electronic voice not changing its cheerful tone.

Tucker raised an eyebrow. _Alright, so it's not junk mail. _With a grunt, the teenager stood up from his game chair and calmly walked over to the computer, stepping leisurely around haphazardly placed boxes full of his stuff. He sat in the computer chair and wiggled the mouse, awakening the black screen.

_Huntrs'son: "Tuck? Tucker, r u there?"_

_Huntrs'son: C'mon, Tuck! I need to talk to u!"_

Tucker grinned widely at seeing his best friend's internet name.

_Tech_King: "Danny! Where've u been, dude? I haven't heard from you since Friday!"_

_Huntrs'son: "Yeah…about that…"_

_Tech_King: "Wait a minute…dude, r you alright?! That…ghost or whatever said u had passed out or something. What happened?!"_

_Huntrs'son: "Actually, that's what I want to talk to u about. Do you think you can put us through the webcam? It'll be easier to explain things that way."_

_Tech_King: "It's complicated?"_

_Huntrs'son: "Like you wouldn't believe."_

Tucker frowned, leaning back from the computer. He didn't mind talking to Danny through the webcam at all; it was just a little strange. Tucker was always the one to ask for a visual feed and Danny was the one who playfully argued against it. They saw each other in online video games all the time, so Danny didn't see much point in talking through a camera.

However, the last time Tucker spoke with Danny, he'd just found out his friend had been blasted by a portal and saved afterward by a ghost. Said ghost had then said Danny would explain everything later. It looked like that time had finally come, and, apparently, it was more than just a simple explanation that could be explained through instant messaging.

Tucker shrugged. _It doesn't matter. Why am I delaying anyway?_

Tucker reached up for his webcam and froze; his hand halfway up to the top of his computer. _Oh yeah. That's why._

_Tech_King: "Give me a minute, dude. I already packed the cam."_

_Huntrs'son: "Take ur time. No hurry here."_

Tucker nodded to himself. He cracked his knuckles and stood up, giving his boxes a determined look. He hadn't labeled the boxes, so he didn't know which one had the webcam inside of it. Finding it would be a tad difficult.

_But find it I will, _Tucker thought confidently before making a dive for the boxes concealing one of his technological babies. A little dramatic maybe, but at the moment, Tucker was unbelievably bored and needed a little excitement in his life. After all, packing all his belongings into little boxes for the past two days got tiring after a while.

With him childishly acting like the boxes were enemies holding his webcam hostage, it took him about four minutes to find the kidnapped camera, in the time it took him to accomplish his task, three of his foes were eviscerated and most of his packing was undone. Tucker winced at the mess, but shrugged it off. _I'll clean it up later, _he decided.

Tucker set the webcam orb on top of his monitor then hooked its cord into the correct socket. A second later and the webcam's program popped up. Tucker entered the right words and clicked the right buttons, and soon, he was connected to the internet connection Danny was using.

_Tech_King: "Alright, dude. All set on this end."_

_Huntrs'son: "Sweet…I push the button with the person standing in the window, right?"_

_Tech_King: "Yeah…"_

_Huntrs'son: "Right, just checking."_

_Tech_King: "We've done this like a hundred times, dude, what gives?"_

_Huntrs'son: "I'm at the library right now. Their computers are kind of weird…"_

Tucker frowned and pursed his lips.

_Tech_King: "The library? Why are you there?"_

_Huntrs'son: "Long story short, my house isn't the safest place right now."_

_Tech_King: "Why?"_

_Huntrs'son: "Eh, I'll tell u about it once I get this stupid thing to work."_

_Tech_King: "Stupid?! Technology is only as stupid as the person using it!"_

_Huntrs'son: "It must be pretty dumb most of the time then…"_

_Tech_King: "Just push the person button."_

_Huntrs'son: "Right."_

Tucker tapped his fingers impatiently against his computer desk as he waited for Danny's picture to show up. He didn't have to wait long before an image of Danny and a black-haired, violet-eyed girl popped up on his monitor. Tucker raised an eyebrow at the pair. If he wasn't mistaken, the girl standing over Danny's shoulder was Danny's 'wannabe' girlfriend, Sam. He'd only seen her in pictures Danny had sent him.

He was about to say hey to the teenagers in Amity Park, until he fully registered their facial expressions. They weren't looking at Tucker, instead up and to their right. The corners of Sam's lips twitched as if she was trying to keep herself from smiling while Danny looked frustrated and a little apprehensive.

Danny started to stand up, reaching at whatever they were looking at. "Phant—" his voice came through the speakers, only to be interrupted by another voice, this one having a weird echo quality to it.

"How are we supposed to see him through _this_?"

The webcam's image suddenly blurred as it was moved around, the room behind Danny and Sam spinning along with the camera. It came back into focus as a large, _glowing_, green eye occupied the entire screen.

Tucker yelled in fright and hastily backed away from the computer, only ending in falling off his swivel chair.

"Phantom!" Danny's voice shouted. "Put that down!"

"But I don't see him, Danny," the echoing voice protested. The eye blinked and turned away, replaced by an ear and some snow white, black-tipped hair. "I don't think it is working."

"That's because _he's_ the one who sees _us_ through that," Danny explained in an exasperated tone.

"Really?" The eye came back, but it slowly got smaller as whoever was holding the webcam steadily held it away from them. Before long, a curious face was revealed. The whole face just happened to be glowing as well, albeit not as brightly.

Tucker, who had been in the process of shakily pulling himself back onto his chair, let out another shout and jolted. His alarm caused his swivel chair to live up to its name and Tucker was reintroduced to his bedroom floor.

"Just put the webcam back on the monitor, Phantom, before you give Tucker a heart attack," Sam said, her amusement not being lost in the transmission between computers. "With all the fat and cholesterol he eats, it wouldn't be too hard."

Usually, Tucker would have taken offence and argued against meat getting a bad rep, but he was still too shocked from seeing a _ghost_ to do so. He didn't bother to get up from the floor as the webcam was finally placed back in its original position. A third member joined the Amity pair and Tucker pointed shakily at the ghost. "D-Danny, th-that's a-a-a—"

"A ghost?" the ghost supplied, his voice sarcastic and dry. "Why yes it is! Sam, tell the lucky human what he's won!"

"I'd rather not," Sam replied nonchalantly.

Danny sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, Tuck. I guess I should have warned you."

"Would have been nice," Tucker agreed. He watched the ghost uneasily as he curled his hand around his mouth and whispered to Danny and Sam, "What's going on? What's with the floating person?"

"If you're trying to make it so I can't hear you, it's not working," the ghost informed him, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Oh, um… Wait a minute!" Tucker suddenly sat upright and pointed once again at the ghost. "I know you! You were that one ghost who didn't know what a computer was!"

"To be fair, he still doesn't," Sam commented with a small smirk.

"You two know each other?" Danny asked in surprise, looking at Phantom and Tucker and then back again.

The ghost shrugged his shoulders. "We talked for about two minutes, Danny. I wouldn't really call that 'knowing' each other."

Tucker climbed back onto his chair and fixed his beret. "Oh yeah? I know you want to keep Danny safe, are the same age as him, you don't know what to do when someone passes out, are easily irritated, and you have no clue what a computer is."

The ghost pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes a bit more. "And I know you like technology _way_ too much, you're apparently in love with meat, you are quick to judge, you don't live in Amity Park, and _you're_ the one who convinced Danny to go into our parents' portal which nearly _killed_ him."

Tucker winced at that last one. Yeah, he felt pretty bad about that_.__But Danny wanted to help his parents and_—Tucker's eyes widened. "'_Our'_ parents? What?!"

Danny chuckled weakly. "Tucker, meet Phantom, my, uh, twin. My _dead_ twin."

Tucker gaped at the ghost, his eyes wide and his jaw nearly touching the floor. The ghost—Phantom shifted uncomfortably in the air and pursed his lips. "Twi-_twin_?!"

Tucker looked back and forth between the two, searching for similarities. Surprisingly, he hadn't seen them at first. Phantom's unnatural—and _glowing_—appearance had completely distracted him from getting a good look at him. Not that that would have helped Tucker any. He hadn't seen Danny that often, so it wasn't like he had a photocopy of Danny's image in his mind that he could call up at any given moment. He had to physically see the two side-by-side and know what he was looking for in order for him to notice anything similar.

He saw it now though. Danny and Phantom both had the same posture, body frame, uneven jaw line; they even had the same haircut! The only things that were really different were; their clothes, Phantom's hair was white with black-tips, and Danny's—not glowing, thankfully—eyes were blue.

"Holy crap!" he shouted. "You have a twin! And he's a _ghost_! Dude, that's so cool!"

Phantom looked puzzled and a little surprised. "_Cool_?"

Danny laughed. "Actually, he's a pain in the butt."

"Hey," Phantom protested; a hurt expression on his face as he looked at Danny, "I am not."

"Are too," Danny persisted, smiling smugly. "Remember the bathroom incident?"

"That was _your_ fault. I'm _not_ a pain. I'm a very useful person."

"You're a pain."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am NOT!"

"Are TOO!"

"Am—"

Tucker laughed so hard tears began trickling out of his eyes. Sam was likewise amused, though you could only see it in the slight smile on her lips. The twins paused and blushed, hastily looking away from each other.

Tucker chuckled some more and reached behind his glasses to wipe a tear away. "Oh man, that was funny."

"It was pointless," Sam commented.

"But funny," Tucker repeated.

Danny huffed and crossed his arms. "Glad we could entertain you, Tuck."

"Ditto."

Danny lips twitched, unable to stay annoyed with his friend.

Phantom frowned. He looked back at Tucker out of the corner of his eyes. "Hey, geek? Why is your room a mess?"

"_Geek_?" Tucker frowned. "What's with calling me a geek?"

Phantom shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know. It just seemed to fit."

Tucker glared at the ghost. He didn't like being called a geek, even if it did fit in some ways. Getting teased since the tender age of four tends to do that to people. And now, someone he didn't even know was calling him one? Not cool.

Danny raised an eyebrow at Phantom who was once again looking off into space. Danny rubbed his neck as he looked back at Tucker. "Uh, sorry, Tuck. I think he has people issues."

Phantom snorted, but didn't comment.

"Right." Tucker shook his head and let the issue with Danny's rude twin drop. He looked over at Sam a smiled. "Hey, Sam! Long time no see."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "We've never met personally before, Tucker."

"I disagree. You see, Danny talks about you so much and he's sent so many pictures of you, it feels like I've known you for years!"

"Tucker!" Danny yelled, his eyes wide and a light blush on his cheeks.

Sam also blushed. "Uh, yeah?"

Phantom chuckled softly. "I knew it," he whispered smugly.

"Yup! Like this one time, Danny talked for like fi—"

"Whoa, hey! Look at the time!" Danny interrupted loudly, looking down at his wrist only to remember he didn't have a watch on. He tapped the screen instead. "We ought to get down to business!"

"Business?" Tucker asked, raising his eyebrow. "What kind of business?"

Sam shrugged. "Danny wants to get you caught up on all that's been happening here. Says you'll be here soon, so you might as well be included in the group."

"I can talk for myself, you know," Danny complained.

"Then speak," Sam replied with a smile.

Danny opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly, he fell to the floor with a surprised cry.

Phantom burst out laughing while Tucker gaped in surprise at his monitor. For a split second, he could have sworn Danny had turned invisible. He leaned forward, irrationally hoping to see where Danny had fallen and if he was still invisible. Of course he couldn't, but Danny soon picked himself off the floor and back onto the computer chair. He gave Phantom an irritated look before he turned to face the shocked Tucker again.

Danny rubbed his neck and laughed nervously. "Uh, that's one of the side effects of what happened Friday."

Tucker continued to stare at him in amazement.

"Uh, right." Danny cleared his throat. "Well you see, I went into the portal that day—"

"—even though he shouldn't have," Phantom interrupted.

"—to see what was wrong like you suggested, Tuck," Danny continued, glancing at Phantom oddly. "The thing is—"

"—the Fenton portal opened up where I happened to be at the time," Phantom cut in again. "I was—"

"—stopping ghosts from invading on the _orders_ of his 'mentor'—" Danny asserted, only to be interrupted again.

"—who was looking out for _our_ best interests." The twins shared a look, their eyes narrowing challengingly.

"So when I went into the portal," Danny continued, turning back to Tucker, "I sensed him and ended up scaring myself. I accidentally—"

"—turned the stupid thing on and ended up pulling me through the rip in our dimensions in a very unpleasant way, thank you very much. The portal—"

"—shot him at me and we both ended up unconscious outside of it. When we woke up—"

"—we weren't the same. Danny looked like an inverted copy of me as I am now—"

"—and Phantom looked like a full ghost, not a ha—"

"—not a twin to a human."

"Uh, yeah, right. So then this big ghost—"

"—Skulker—"

"—followed Phantom out of the portal—"

"—and started spouting crap about us being unique for ha—"

"—Twins."

"Uh, yeah. He got out his rocket launchers and started blasting at us."

"Eventually, Phantom and I teamed up and—"

"—we were able to send him packing back to the Zone using one of ou—"

"—_my_…er, I mean, our parents' inventions."

"Then you started messaging Danny through the 'computer'—"

"—and we talked for a while—"

"—until I showed Danny what he looked like and he fain—"

"—passed out. I _passed out_."

"Uh-huh. Then you and I talked for a while. Our parents came down and started blasting at me. So I flew back to the Zone. I'd promised Danny I would explain what Skulker meant when he called us unique, so I returned as soon as it was safe."

"When he got back, I realized something was wrong with me—"

"—since sinking through solid floors isn't normal for humans—"

"—and I yelled for Phantom to help me. We came to the conclusion that the portal had changed us somehow and decided we would see how we had been changed by—"

"—performing these experiments. We found out that in our 'human' forms, we have mixed human and ghost blood. We also found that—"

"—my body temperature went down and Phantom's rose—"

"—Danny can't fly—"

"—but I can control my center of gravity."

"I have to eat—"

"—and use the bathroom, though he has no skills in aiming."

"Danny threw up some ecto water—"

"—that looked like pee!"

"My bad. He drank something that looked like pee."

"Well, Phantom missed when he had to use the bathroom."

"Danny's afraid of heights—"

"—especially when Phantom's flying."

"I have to breathe—"

"—and complains constantly about it—"

"—though not as much as gravity."

"He's got a heartbeat and—"

"STOP!" Tucker finally shouted. He placed his hands against his computer screen, a desperate look on his face. Danny's and Phantom's mouths clicked shut. "Slow down, back up, and stop finishing each other's sentences! It's too confusing!"

Sam chuckled softly. "I don't know. I think that was kind of fun."

Danny looked a little sheepish, but Phantom just smirked at Tucker before he shrugged. He didn't say anything, though. He just looked off into space.

"Basically, Tucker," Sam said, "Danny and Phantom were caught up in an accident that made Danny half ghost and Phantom half human. They experimented on each other for a while before I stumbled upon them and joined their group. Now you've been added as a member as well. You can't tell _anybody_ about Phantom's and Danny's connection."

Tucker calmed down and sat back in his chair. "Why?"

Danny winced. "My parents are ghost hunters, remember? They could decide to kick me out because I'm half ghost."

"Or dissect us, to better understand how such an impossibility could happen," Phantom added absently.

Danny flinched. "Yeah. That too."

"They wouldn't do that," Tucker dismissed with an eye roll. "They're your parents. I'm sure they would accept you."

"And me?" Phantom questioned, looking back at Tucker. "Would they accept a son they didn't even realize they had for fourteen years?"

"Didn't realize?" Sam asked, frowning suspiciously at the ghost.

Phantom sighed. "Alright, didn't realize still existed. Better?"

Sam's eyes stayed narrowed as she stared at him thoughtfully.

"Well, anyway," Danny said, trying to break the tension, "Phantom may start fighting ghosts to protect Amity Park."

"He what?" Tucker asked, surprised. "Isn't that the Red Huntress's job, though?" It was her duty first. Now some ghost was going to come and show her up? Even if he was Danny's twin, Tucker didn't like him upstaging the Huntress.

Phantom crossed his arms and snorted. "I haven't even agreed to anything yet, so don't go getting all defensive for your '_heroine's'_ sake." He scowled and muttered almost too quietly for Tucker to hear, "Stupid, paranoid, crazy chick."

Almost. "What'd you call her?!" Tucker yelled.

"A stupid, paranoid, crazy chick," Phantom repeated, smirking at Tucker. "She is, you know."

Tucker glared at the ghost, but Phantom just continued smirking tauntingly at him, apparently unfazed by his righteous anger. Tucker could see in his green eyes, though, that he wasn't too happy with him either.

"Okay!" Danny yelled loudly, still trying to dispel the tension. "We all need to calm down! Tucker, cool your jets. Red hasn't been too kind to Phantom, so he has a bad opinion of her at the moment. He hasn't seen all the good she's done yet."

"What good?" Phantom demanded, turning his glowing eyes to Danny. "The whole town's a mess, or haven't you noticed?"

"Red isn't that bad, Phantom," Danny tried to reason.

Phantom raised an eyebrow. "How would _you_ know? You've never been on the end of one of her shoot outs before. I'd bet you wouldn't be able to handle our parents and…'Red' without wetting your pants or something."

Danny glared at him, offended. He opened his mouth to respond, but Sam put a hand on his shoulder and he shut it instead. Sam shook her head and said, "Wow, and I thought I was the one filled with angst. I think the best thing to do at the moment, is adjourn this 'meeting' until we're all able to talk civilly to each other again."

Phantom shrugged. "Fine by me."

Danny took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. I guess you're right, Sam." He turned to Tucker and said, "Guess I'll talk to you later, man."

Tucker grinned, his shoulders relaxing. "Yeah. But this time, try not to take all weekend to get around to it again."

Danny chuckled and reached to turn off the webcam, but Sam grabbed his wrist, stopping him. He looked at her inquisitively.

"I want to talk to Tucker for a moment," she explained. When the twins didn't move, she rolled her eyes. "Alone."

"Oh. Yeah." Danny smiled shyly and stood up from the chair. He looked at Phantom and asked, "Anywhere you would like to go, Phantom?"

Phantom looked surprised at being asked that, before he frowned and shook his head. "I don't know what all is here, but it's not like I can participate in any human activities, anyway."

"Right. To the park it is!" Danny pumped a hand in the air and began to walk away.

Phantom flew after him, but Tucker could still hear him ask Danny, "Again?!"

Tucker thought he heard Danny say something about interrupted experiments, but he wasn't sure. The ghost twin did seem to brighten, though.

Tucker frowned thoughtfully at them, until Sam's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"So. What did you think of Phantom, Tucker?"

Tucker raised an eyebrow at the Goth girl. Was she really asking that? "Well, he's kind of a jerk."

"No, I mean, in relation to Danny."

Tucker shrugged. "I don't know. They seem pretty close for only knowing each other for two days, but that's twins for you."

"Twins?" Sam asked, placing her hands on the table and leaning forward. "Are you sure?"

Tucker frowned. "What? What do you mean?"

"I mean, do they really seem like twins? They act so much alike sometimes…it's unnatural."

Tucker smiled a little. "How many twins have you met, Sam?"

Sam frowned, her lips pursing together. "I haven't met any."

"Then take it from one who has cousins who are twins: twins act a lot alike. Usually it depends on the pair, but it's not unusual for them to be so similar. Why are you freaking out about it, anyway?"

Sam sighed. "I don't know. I just have a feeling they're not telling us the whole truth…"

"Well, they probably aren't, but is it really any of our business? They are…brothers after all."

"Did you hesitate?"

"Well, now that you mention it..."

"Yeah?" Sam leaned forward again eagerly…well, Tucker thought it was eagerly.

"They do seem to be hiding something. Remember when they were finishing each other's sentences?"

Sam smiled thinly. "Of course. They kept making mistakes; like they knew something but didn't want us to know."

Tucker nodded, his lips pursing. "But, Danny and I share everything. Why would he keep something so important from me?"

Sam snorted and stood up straight again, a small smirk on her face. "Gees, Tucker. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you had feelings for Danny

Tucker scowled at her. "You're a girl! You wouldn't understand! We're bros! Brothers in all but blood! I've known him longer than his '_twin'_. Phantom's known him for what? Two days? I'm more his brother than that ghost is…"

Sam looked at him thoughtfully as he pouted unhappily. She rolled her eyes and whispered something about idiotic boys, but Tucker was too busy sulking to pay any attention.

* * *

***Whistles tunelessly* What? That's 14+ pages. I _had_ to end it. And the arguing...you know you like it! Well, I hope you do. Foreshadowing is pretty prominent in this chapter, huh? **

**I won't say how many more chapters, but things are starting to narrow down. I want to keep working on this, but I need to get the next chapter to GZE up. Heh, it sometimes gets confusing, switching back and forth between stories, but it's also fun and refreshing. **

**'Kay, that's all folks! Thanks for reading and leave a review if you can! They're very much appreciated and they really encourage me to write more (motivation!)**


	21. Needed

**Hello, readers! Sorry I was late again...but at least it wasn't three months, right? You can thank my beta and the reviewers for that ;D**

**Kiomori: **lol, yeah, I figured Tucker would be so bored he'd create his own fun. Plus, I wanted to demonstrate how Tucker and Phantom have a few things in common. The question is, when _will _Sam and Tuck find their answers? Eh, lame suspense attempt. Yup. Danny's going to get real intimate with that concept, especially in later chapters. I can't wait to see either; the story has taken over!  
**Hyperpegasi: **Thanks! I loved that part, too! I had so much fun writing it :D I had a surprisingly easy time writing Tucker, too. Usually characters give me a hard time, but he wasn't so bad. Wonder why...  
**Donteatacowman: **;D I've had that cellphone idea in my head for a while now. lol, my mom says I write weird, but I guess that's a good thing! Ah, you love the twin speak! Did you use a callback there too? lol. Yeah, I think it did. Thank you, and enjoy this new chapter!  
**xxBakaAkki: **Hehe, lol! I am psychic! Yes! I love seeing people's interpretations of my story! Plus I love art in general, so that's awesome. Thank you. Sorry this took a while.  
**DP-shrine-in-closet-girl: **Really? Great! Lol, I enjoyed that part too. Just picturing the scene gives me the giggles even now...and I've had it in my head for a while now! :D Twin speak, always fun ;) Glad you liked to so much! Tucker probably won't be in Amity until next story, unfortunetly, but I'm glad you enjoyed the glimps of him. It's alright; you replied now and that's what counts, right :) I'm just glad you didn't lose interest in it or anything. I had fun with the flying scene, too. Actually, I have a lot of fun with the whole story :D  
**Mi Bi Looney: **hehe, yeah. But in the meantime, we can watch him and laugh our butts off ;D jk. I like the fights too. They're fun to write. I fight with my little brother all the time too, and my older sisters before that, so I get it. Siblings. They make life so interesting ^-^  
**JackieDanielStark: **Lol! Yeah! That would be great! Can I use that? Next story, of course. You know my answer to that: go right ahead! And good luck!  
**Thunderstorm101: **lol, I bet that's fun. My sisters and I sometimes speak at the same time, but not nearly on that degree. I babysit two twins, now, but they mostly just bicker over who gets the controller (boys...) I have four siblings so I hope so :D I'm glad I got the twin thing going, though. Besides the little twins I watch, I've never met twins before.  
**Accoroffee: **Thank you :) I write what I want to read, and what I wanted to read when I first began this was a story where Danny and Phantom were 'seperate' people--but not interested in each other. Surprisingly hard to find...But now I love my story! It's difficult to write, but I like looking back and re-reading a chapter or two ^_^  
**Dragon260: **I didn't like the episode where they were seperate at first, but it's grown on me. I'm glad you like my story, even though it's not something you'd usully read. I hope I don't mess it up, either ;)  
**Shiro Inutoko: **Thank you so much! I don't think I'm that great of a writer, but then, I'm my own worst critic. I hope to one day get my original stories out there, too. Man, that would be awesome! My sisters the same way: she has all kinds of ideas, but she can never get things going. She turned her attention to art, though. Astronomy is a lot of fun. I sometimes learn some things about it on the science channel, but I didn't know that much about the white dwarf. When I was reading it, though, I kept on comparing the white and black dwarf to Danny and Phantom. I'll think about it; it sounds good. Just needs a little work like White_Dwarf63, or...you know, my creativity is failing me right now, too...I'm definetly going to finish it; it's just a matter of time. I'm actually starting to wrap it up, so it's no big deal. Lol. Thanks! I've got to update my other story real quick, but after that, I'm going to give my full attention to this one. If I get really into it, I may be able to update it every three days like I did when first began writing it :D Oh. I'm going to edit it once I finish it, so I'll keep that in mind (interesting, too, by the way. Breakfast, huh?) Thanks again for the two reviews :D  
**Kitty Ghost and digiwriter1392: **Thank you for taking the time to review too! Even one or two words mean a lot to me :D  
**Thanks again guys! I'm sorry it took a while for me to get this up. School is difficult--especially when the teachers form a conspiracy to give you loads of homework :[**

**The story got away with me again. It was supposed to focus more on Phantom, but noooo. Oh well. You get Danny and some Phantom. Phantom's part seems a little weird to me, though. He was the one I had the most trouble with, oddly enough. Usually he's the one I can depend on _not _to give me a hard time. **

**Danny Phantom is not mine. Also, send a shout out to my beta, Dragondancer123. She's a real help, and if it wasn't for her, I probably would have taken another three months to update...**

**Enjoy! Chapter 18:**

* * *

Chapter 18  
Needed

"…And I want you all to workout at least twice a day! That includes fifty sit-ups, twenty pushups, twenty-five—"

_Ring!_

The students sped out of the room so fast they left marks on the tiled floor, and Ms. Tetslaff was left with an uncompleted sentence. The health and gym teacher made a face and grumbled something about how energetic the students were _off_ the field. She was about to make her own exit when she noticed she still had one occupant left in the room. Frowning, the teacher made her way over to the still-occupied desk, mentally complaining about lazy students.

She looked down at the messy mop of black hair for a moment before she grabbed the skinny boy's Health book off the desk and slammed it down as hard as she could, creating a resounding bang that echoed loudly in the empty health room. The boy snapped his head up with a startled gasp, his blue eyes twice their normal size and a trail of drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.

Ms. Tetslaff leaned into Danny's face and whispered dangerously, "I hope you don't make a habit of this, Fenton." The young boy began to calm himself down enough to slouch once more in his seat, apparently unconcerned. Her upper lip curled up in distaste at the boy's relaxed posture. "If I find you sleeping in my class again, Fenton, you will be doing a _hundred_ sit-ups—IN DETENTION!"

Danny blinked groggily up at her, confusion warring with drossiness on his face as if asking, "Why are you shouting?"

Ms. Tetslaff growled again, but gave up on intimidating the half-asleep teen. She gave Danny a disapproving look before she marched out of the room. There was a foot long sub sandwich waiting for her, and no lazy boy was going to keep her from her precious.

Danny blinked once more at his teacher's back. His head and upper body slowly began to slump over the desk below. A cold, invisible hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back upright. Danny groaned in protest and received a light, familiar chuckle in return.

"Gees, Danny," the disembodied voice of Phantom said from behind Danny. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

_Not with you keeping me up,_ Danny thought bitterly, but he reached a hand up to rub at his eyes.

Phantom snorted and his hand withdrew from Danny's shoulder. "You can't pin the blame completely on me, Danny. You were the one who insisted on playing that internet game with geek-boy all night."

Danny grunted, but didn't reply and made sure his thoughts didn't leak out again. It _was_ actually Phantom's fault…though the ghost wouldn't know that. He hadn't been able to fall asleep after he'd finished playing with Tucker because Phantom had given him too much to think about that day. He had been consumed with thoughts of what had happened to them, Phantom's possible actions in the future and what he was supposed to do about a certain something the ghost couldn't be allowed to find out about…

Phantom, unaware of where Danny's thoughts were headed, floated a little above him and became visible. Phantom had adamantly refused to wear one of Danny's sweaters—he said they were 'scratchy' as cactuses and too 'confining' on his movements—so his outfit now consisted of a black baseball cap and his usual attire.

The cap sat backwards atop his head, his bangs hidden beneath the cap and the bill concealing his black neck hairs from view. It looked surprisingly good on the ghost, all the black and the backwards cap made him look like a punk skater. It managed to make Phantom look more…human…in a weird way too. It hid most of his ghostly attributes, but Danny couldn't help thinking how much cooler he'd look with sunglasses. It would hide his eyes, but Phantom disliked the 'stupid' sunglasses more than the 'confining' sweaters…

Phantom looked around the classroom curiously, apparently fascinated with the bland health room. "Class ended, Danny," he said without looking back at Danny. "Shouldn't you hurry to your next class now? I thought you only had five minutes to travel between them."

Danny yawned and stretched, his arms reaching for the roof as he arched his back. He sighed and relaxed his posture after his back popped into place. "Nah. I don't have to rush this time, Phantom. This is my lunch hour."

Danny tried to stand up then. _Tried_, but didn't succeed. Sleeping leg nerves don't respond well, apprently. When he tried to stand, his legs refused to support him and he quickly lost balance. He instinctively braced himself against his desk for support, but the strain on his forearm sent a wave of agony traveling up the rest of the limb and he cringed, quickly easing the pressure on his arm.

Phantom looked back at him—probably sensing his flare of pain—but Danny had already composed himself and was casually faking a yawn."Danny?" he asked hesitantly. "What was that?"

Danny closed his mouth and shook his head. "Huh? What was what?" he replied, trying to sound innocent.

Phantom's face scrunched up in confusion for a moment before he shrugged. "Must have been my imagination, I guess."

"Yeah, must have." Danny finally noticed the drool hanging from his mouth, and wiped it away with a grimace. He lazily gathered his health supplies—a pencil, book, and notebook—around for his 'travel' between classes. "Anyway, we should get going."

Phantom frowned. "I thought you didn't need to rush."

"I don't." Danny stuffed his pencil inside his red hoodie's front pouch and placed his book and notebook in the crook of his left arm. "But I don't want to miss out on all the _good_ food…if you could really call it that." He grimaced just thinking about the cafeteria's mystery meat, but walked out of the classroom and into the relative privacy of the hallway anyway.

Phantom, once again invisible, followed him out. _"If you don't like the food,"_ Phantom said through their link, _"then why do you eat it?"_

Danny resisted the urge to pout at the easy use of their telepathy. Phantom had been using the link all day and was getting pretty good at it, unlike Danny, who blabbed every other private thought to his unwilling listener. It was surprising how Phantom hadn't caught on to what Danny was hiding, considering how terrible Danny was at keeping things to himself…

"_Danny?"_ Phantom asked.

"_Huh? Oh. I eat it because I have to eat something, and that's all there is."_ Danny shrugged, as if it were obvious. He paused behind a group of students that were loitering in the halls, talking for no apparent reason while they blocked the whole hallway. Danny rolled his eyes and shifted on his feet, waiting patiently for the crowd to move.

"_You could just phase through them," _Phantom suggested helpfully, sounding slightly confused about why he hadn't already done so. _"I'm sure you have enough control by now to handle it."_

"_I'm trying to keep a low profile, remember?" _Danny replied. _"Walking through a crowd of students is _not_ something normal humans do."_

"_If you do it right, they won't notice,"_ Phantom persisted.

Danny sensed the ghost float behind him, and couldn't help starting to feel nervous at what the ghost might be plotting. He tried to glance behind him without looking as if he was. Phantom's form shimmered a little into visibility, and Danny caught the mischievous look in his eyes. The ghost disappeared again, and he gulped._ "Don't go getting any ideas, Phantom. They'll move eventually."_

"_But why wait?"_

"_Phantom,"_ he growled in gritted his teeth and searched the crowd anxiously for a way through them._ "We can't draw attention to ourselves!"_

"_They'll never notice."_

Unless he got physical, there wasn't a way around them. Danny scowled in frustration._ "You don't know that!"_

"_Oh come on, Danny! What fun is life if you never take risks?"_

"_This coming from a dead __ghost__!"_

Phantom scoffed somehow through the link, and Danny twitched at the odd sensation. _"So I would know best."_

"_I doubt that."_

"_Ghosts—"_

"FENTON!"

Before he could react, Danny's sweater was suddenly grabbed from behind and he was lifted a few inches off the ground. He internally cursed his luck, and glared when he was spun around and forced to look into the narrowed blue eyes of the Dash Baxter.

The star quarterback glared back at him and shook him a little, unknowingly jarring his injured arm and eliciting a pained gasp from him. Dash, pleased with the show of pain, shook him once more before he shoved him harshly against the closest row of lockers. Danny groaned and tried to block the pain from his mind.

The students that had been blocking the way now gathered around the pair, whispering excitedly amongst themselves. Phantom hovered on the fringe of the crowd, his puzzlement and uncertainty reaching Danny through the link and further disorienting the human halfa.

Dash got in front of Danny's face and growled, "Guess what I got on my health test, Fentonail?"

Danny blinked in confusion for moment before he made a show of gagging. "An 'F'? For poor hygiene? Maybe if you tried a breath mint—"

Dash slammed him against the lockers again and Danny's right arm took the brunt of the force. His vision blackened and he cried out, his body instinctively trying to curl in on itself.

"_Danny!"_ Phantom shouted.

Danny sensed him start to fly towards Dash and quickly yelled, _"No! Don't!"_

Phantom paused, floating a few feet from the bully. _"But…"_

Danny shook his head and cracked his eyes open—he hadn't realized he'd closed them—only to find Dash smirking down at him. "That hurt, Fentoad?" he asked smugly. "Maybe that'll teach you to keep your mouth shut!"

Honestly, Danny should have taken the helpful advice from a surprising source, but his pride rebelled against submitting to Dash. He glared at the bully and replied, "You'll have to do better than that, Dash, if you ever hope to bury the truth of your bad breath. When was the last time you brushed your teeth? Last week?"

Dash's face flushed with anger, and Danny mentally winced. Dash raised a fist and Danny closed his eyes tightly, waiting tensely for the impact…

It never came.

Danny cautiously opened his eyes, wondering what was wrong. Dash's fist was slowly lowering itself, but Danny was too stunned and focused on his eyes to thank the gods that he was going to live. Green glowing eyes stared back at him where blue eyes _should _have been.

"_Danny?"_ Phantom's voice asked hesitantly through the link.

Danny's mind finally caught on to what had happened. He gaped at the overshadowed jock and shouted through the link, _"Phantom, get out of him!"_

"_But he's trying to hurt you!"_ Phantom protested, Dash's facial expression turning defiant.

"_I'll be fine, Phantom, but if Valerie comes around now and finds Dash acting weird, _you_ won't be; now get out!"_

"_Danny—"_

"_Out!"_

Dash's eyes returned to normal and the large jock stumbled back, his grip on Danny's sweater slacking. "What?" he asked, disoriented.

The crowd whispered in confusion and disappointment while Kwan stepped beside Dash and placed a large hand on his shoulder. "Dash? You alright? Why haven't you pummeled the geek already?"

Dash shook his head and looked down at Danny, who smiled innocently back at him. "Huh? Oh! That's, uh, because he's not worth my time!" Dash shoved Danny into the lockers again and released his grip on his hoodie.

"But he insulted you," Kwan persisted. "Are you just going to let him get away with that?"

Dash was starting to look annoyed, but whether it was because of Kwan or his failing memory, was a mystery. Finally, his mind came up with the simplest solution: forget the confusion and satisfy his friend. "Yeah, whatever."

Danny tried to get away, but the crowd had him boxed in and he was quickly grabbed again. He cursed his light-weight when Dash lifted him effortlessly up in the air again. Kwan opened a random locker and Dash threw Danny in, slamming the door shut behind him. Danny stifled a yelp as his already abused injury was once again battered.

He could hear laughing outside the locker. He twisted around inside and looked out the grate holes. The teenagers had parted for the football players to pass and were starting to follow them to the lunch room. A few of the teens looked back at Danny's prison and snickered, throwing derogatory taunts at him. Some remained behind, ignoring Danny's predicament all together.

Danny scowled and punched the locker door with his left hand.

"_You satisfied?"_ Phantom's voice asked. _"I could have helped you, you know."_

"_Your 'help' would have gotten us all in trouble," _Danny snapped. He sensed Phantom outside the locker and glared at the invisible ghost._ "What were you thinking, overshadowing him? If Valerie had been there, she would have started shooting!"_

"_I didn't mean to overshadow him!"_ Phantom objected. _"I only meant to scare him a little bit, but I got sucked in!"_

Danny breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself. It may have worked…if the locker he was in didn't happen to have a pair of dirty socks in it. _"Scaring him would have caused trouble too! We don't want anyone to know there's a ghost in the school, remember?"_

Phantom snorted. _"As if I could forget with you reminding me every two minutes!"_

Danny bit his lip and forced himself to calm down. _"Look, I appreciate your concern, but I would have been fine."_

"_Fine?! He was about to beat you up!"_

"_I know! I was _there_!"_ Danny gritted his teeth and shook his head. He sighed and leaned his head against the back of the locker._ "Maybe…you should get out of the school for a while."_

Phantom's green eyes became visible through the grates. _"You mean…leave?"_

"_Just for a little while,"_ Danny said. He looked into unusually dim green eyes and added, _"We both need to calm down…and you're bored here, aren't you?"_

Phantom seemed to shrug.

"_Well, you don't have to stay by my side all the time." _Danny shifted in the locker, trying to get comfortable. _"You can explore the city…think over what Sam and you discussed yesterday."_

Phantom's eyes narrowed in annoyance. _"Do I have to?"_

"_Yes. You may come to like Amity, Phantom."_

Phantom sighed, his eyes closing. _"I doubt that."_

Danny rolled his eyes. _"You might. So…I'll see you after school?"_

Phantom opened his eyes again. He stared into Danny's for a while before he nodded. _"After school."_

Danny bit his lip, a little nervous about Phantom leaving._ "Stay safe…"_ There were, after all, a lot of ways a ghost could get in trouble.

"_Right back at you."_Phantom became fully visible long enough to smirk at Danny. He disappeared again before the students could notice his presence and Danny sensed him fly through the roof of the ceiling.

Danny breathed deeply in through the grates—the socks smelled awful—and leaned his forehead against the locker door's cool, metal surface. With Phantom finally gone, he could finally relax his 'mental barriers' as he had come to think of them. He wasn't sure if they were actual 'barriers' or not, though, because so far, the only thing he had accomplished was developing a headache. Phantom had nearly full access to all the thoughts that occurred in Danny's head. Only one had eluded the grasping, nosy link, but that was only because Danny had avoided thinking about it all together.

Danny cracked an eye open and peered down at his right arm. He'd worn his red sweater that day, and it was doing a wonderful job of hiding the awful bandage work underneath. The two-day old dressing had needed to be changed that morning, but Danny hadn't been able to get away from Phantom long enough to ask Jazz for her help—

Actually, he was confused and more than a little surprised that she hadn't come to him already. He'd been available; she just never bothered him. She didn't ask any questions about what happened and she didn't ask if he was doing okay. Just…nothing. It was like she had forgotten about Danny's injury.

He doubted it, because whenever they were in the same room, he would randomly catch her looking at him or his arm. She would have a calculating look on her face that Danny knew from experience meant she was thinking long and hard about something. If she was looking at his arm when she had that face on…not good.

All the same, she never came around to change his bandages and he had been forced to change them himself. He was only able to get away from Phantom when he took a shower where privacy was kind of a necessity, so he did it then. There were always fresh dressings under the bathroom sink, so Danny had quickly tried to bandage his gash. Two key words there: _quickly_ and _tried_.

Danny's attempt at nursing was… pathetic, but it got the job done. Danny's arm was once again on the road to recovery, and Phantom was none the wiser.

Danny flexed his fingers on his right hand and pursed his lips. It was really kind of upsetting the effort Danny was willing to put in to keep Phantom in the dark. He had to do it, because if he didn't, a lot of people may suffer.

Okay, so maybe that was exaggerating it just a bit. But Phantom had plainly stated that he wouldn't help protect Amity Park if his ghost fighting endangered himself or Danny. Clearly, if he found out about Danny getting the same injuries as him, that would be violating his self-imposed rule and he would call off the whole hero-work thing.

Danny couldn't let that happen. Amity Park _did_ need him, even if they didn't show it. The whole city was falling apart, stone by tiny little stone. Buildings had been completely destroyed, potholes the size of cars littered the roads, and the citizens were terrified of even the slightest hint of ghostly activity. Some would think they'd have gotten used to it -and in most cases that was true—the ones who were unable to adapt left the city. Those that remained stayed clear of their basements and attics and refused to go out after dark.

The town needed a hero to defend it. Danny's parents and Valerie were great and managed to save the town more times than even a mathematician could count, but it wasn't good enough. The ghosts just kept on coming, stronger ones with new abilities and powers. The Hunters couldn't keep up, no matter how hard they tried. Humans alone just weren't powerful enough to fight the undead.

…_But that doesn't mean Phantom can handle it all on his own either…does it? _Danny wondered, biting his lower lip.

He remembered fighting alongside Phantom when they first met, back when Phantom was too insecure with his own abilities to fight Skulker head on. He had needed and accepted Danny's help without question. They had teamed up and sent Skulker back into the Ghost Zone without receiving any serious injuries…and it had felt great, at least to Danny. He had never felt so strong; no one had ever allowed him to fight ghosts before.

Now it was different. Phantom was still unsure of himself, but he was confident enough with his new powers that he was willing to consider fighting ghosts—_without_ Danny's help. Where at first he had welcomed him with open arms, Phantom now told Danny to sit by on the sidelines and watch as he fought, hurting himself and Danny in the process. The ghost now seemed to think Danny couldn't handle the fighting, just like everyone else appeared to believe.

_It's not fair! _Danny complained internally. His eyes tightened and his upper lip lifted a little in a silent snarl. _I'm not made of glass! I can help!_

Danny's eyes flew open and he suddenly tensed. He had forgotten that the link sometimes picked up on his more passionate thoughts, sending them to Phantom without his approval. After a few minutes of silence, however, Danny relaxed his muscles.

Danny groaned and ran a hand through his hair. _It's so difficult to think without thinking! Stupid link! Haven't you ever heard of privacy __or__secrets?_

"_What?"_ Phantom's voice asked from out of nowhere.

Danny gasped and jumped, his head connecting painfully with the top of the locker.

"_Danny?"_

Danny shook his head, trying to clear it. _"_I, uh, sorry, Phantom," he said aloud. _He just heard the last thought, right? _"Just thinking to myself."

"_I gathered that much,"_ Phantom replied and Danny could just imagine him either rolling his eyes or smirking.

Danny huffed indignantly. It wasn't his fault the link was into the gossip moving through Danny's mind. "Just fly around and ignore my thoughts, Phantom."

"_Way ahead of you there, Danny."_

Danny pouted and crossed his arms, winced and uncrossed them again.

"Danny?"

"Shut up, Phantom," Danny hissed.

A teal colored eye peered at him through the grates and he gasped, jolting back and bumping his head against the locker again.

"'Phantom'?" Valerie asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "That ghost isn't around _here_ is he? Because if he is, I'll—"

"Uh, no, Val!" Danny assured quickly. "There's no ghost, and, uh, no Phantom."

"But I heard you say—"

"I didn't say Phantom! Why would I mention that creep's name?!"

"I heard you say his name."

"Oh, well, it must have just…slipped out…?"

Danny tried to smile innocently when Valerie's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"

"Oh, uh, I was thinking to myself," Danny said struggling with a reasonable half-truth, seeing how he couldn't seem to lie convincingly. "The ghost just happened to be what I was thinking about at that very moment and I just said it."

Valerie frowned slightly, before her eyes disappeared from the grates. Danny heard the combination turning and quickly tried to brace himself. His hand found the dirty sock, though, and when the locker popped open, his panic and disgust resulted in him to losing balance and falling out with a startled cry. Luckily for him, Valerie caught him before he could experience a painful collision with the floor.

Danny blushed to the roots of his hair and quickly gathered his feet beneath him. Way too close for just friends. "Uh, thanks, Valerie." He smiled at her and rubbed his neck, trying not to seem as awkward as he felt. It'd figure he was so light Valerie could catch him and not stumble at all—well, that or she was incredibly strong for a girl.

Valerie smiled, a light dusting of pink on her own brown cheeks. "No problem." She looked back at the locker and her eyes narrowed. "Dash throw you in there?"

Danny shrugged and dusted himself off. "Yeah, but I kind of asked for it. I taunted him into doing it."

Valerie shook her head. "He threw you into a _locker_, Danny. Why do you have to be so noble about it?"

Danny scoffed. "Noble? I am not being noble. I'm just admitting it was my fault. I'm still going to get back at him…"

Valerie chuckled. "I'd like to see _that_." She smiled and ran a hand through her long hair. "So…do you want to come eat lunch with me?"

Danny raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What? I thought we weren't going to date anymore."

Valerie's blush deepened, but she rolled her eyes and said, "We're just sitting together, Danny. I don't understand why you guys always jump to that conclusion."

She was mostly talking to herself, but Danny replied cautiously, "Wishful thinking…?"

Valerie chuckled softly. "I suppose." She turned so she was facing the way to the cafeteria. She looked over her shoulder at Danny and asked, "So, are you coming? It's not a date, by the way."

Danny grinned and slammed the locker door shut. "Sure, Val, I'd love to…But do you mind if Sam comes along? I kind of promised I'd sit with her today."

Valerie's smile fell a little before it grew to twice its previous size. "Sure, Danny! Bring...Sam along."

"Cool. You two never sit with each other." Danny grinned and caught up to her. Valerie looked as if she had just swallowed something sour, but she made an effort to smile at him as they began walking down the hall.

* * *

If the citizens of Amity Park looked up as they passed the City Hall on their way to their various destinations in their daily routine, they would have seen an interesting sight atop the roof. Some might have fun off in terror. Others may have called the Hunters to alert them to the spectacle. And the few left over may have ignored it all together, glancing up before continuing on as if it were a perfectly natural occurrence.

None looked up. They were too consumed with their own personal lives to be interested in the top of an old building. It's impossible to know what would have gone through their minds if they saw a ghost perched on a gargoyle's pedestal with a disgruntled scowl on his shadowed face. In a ghost infested town such as theirs, it would have been intriguing at the very least.

Meanwhile, Phantom _was_ looking down at the humans…and scowling. He wasn't too happy about watching them. He was bored beyond belief, actually. He had a mission to accomplish, but he wasn't sure what it was. The way Danny had phrased his suggestion, it had sounded like he expected Phantom to see something in the city folk that would inspire Phantom's protective instincts. But what was he supposed to see? Were the humans going to start randomly dancing or something? At least that would be more amusing than watching them go about the same thing over and over.

Phantom sighed and grabbed the lid of his new hat—er, cap. He turned it back around so it once again covered his neck. In reality, he didn't like the cap very much, but it was better than one of Danny's sweaters. At least it was airy. He couldn't deny that it got the job done though. Ghosts—that were bound to show up eventually—wouldn't see his multicolored hair, and the Hunters—that were most likely on the hunt for him—wouldn't get suspicious over his appearance.

Hopefully, the cap was an unnecessary precaution.

As soon as a ghost appeared, Phantom planned to be on the other side of the city, purposefully minding his own business and _not_ being tempted into saving any wayward humans dumb enough to get in a ghost's way. His past experience in helping out the humans didn't really inspire him to give it another go, no matter how much Danny and Sam begged him. After all, it wasn't _their_ half life on the line.

Phantom gently lifted into the air, taking a moment to look down at the open air beneath his feet before he zoomed off in a random direction. He didn't have any particular destination in mind; he intended to fly for the thrill of flying. He hadn't just taken the time to enjoy the air currents in a while. He had always found he thought more clearly after a long flight, even in the Ghost Zone.

He flew for a while before he allowed himself to look down again. He grinned when he saw most everything blending together in a blur due to his speed…all except the vehicles the humans drove. The vehicles escaped the communal blurring, instead standing out in stark contrast as they unknowingly kept pace with the speeding ghost.

Phantom smirked and flew faster, determined to leave the human's way of transportation in the dust. Humans needed to get around quickly, and the only way they could do that was by driving big hunks of metal. Ghosts, on the other hand, were able to fly high speeds any time they wanted. The young ghost halfa had always wondered which was faster…

Unfortunately, there were speed limits on how fast the humans could drive, so a race was out of the question. The vehicles were also restricted to the relatively straight roads, so another common ghost contest was out: agility.

Phantom couldn't race the humans; however he _could_ make things a little exciting.

Danny and Sam would probably disapprove, but they weren't there at the moment.

Phantom angled his flight downwards, closing in on the traffic so he only had to stretch his hand out to touch a vehicle if he chose to. He stared at the 'fast' machines below him for a moment before he took a deep breath and dived into the flow.

* * *

Billy glared at his older brother who was looking innocently out the car window as if he hadn't just thrown a ketchup-drenched French fry at Billy. Billy wasn't fooled by the act at all, however. He scanned the back seat for something he could use in revenge, spotting another package of ketchup. He quickly grabbed it, ripped it open, and squirted the ketchup at his older brother. His brother shrieked a girly scream and grabbed another pack as well. Billy readied his own weapon, prepared to give as good as he got when the inevitable war broke loose.

"_Boys_!" their mother suddenly shouted from the front seat. "Don't you dare start that, or I _swear_ I will never take you to that Nasty Burger place _again_!"

Billy and his brother quickly dropped their ketchup packs. They spared each other frustrated looks that said, 'this isn't over' before they looked out their individual windows, plotting when they could resume their war.

A ghost suddenly appeared right outside Billy's window and all thoughts of future battle plans vanished from his mind. Billy gaped at the flying ghost, unconsciously plastering his face against the window, unable to believe what he was seeing. The ghost glanced at him, and Billy felt fear course through his veins when those luminous green eyes connected with his.

Surprisingly, the ghost didn't attack. Even more astonishing, the ghost smirked and winked at Billy before he disappeared from sight entirely.

Billy gasped and looked around wildly. His big brother sneered and asked him if he was afraid a monster was going to jump out of the seats and eat him, but Billy was too busy searching for the ghost to remember his latest nightmare his big brother was referring to.

* * *

Phantom watched the little boy with an amused smirk as he frantically turned in his seat to look out the back window. A woman, who Phantom assumed was the boy's mother, yelled something from the front seat and the boy quickly sat down again, a dejected look on his face.

Phantom chuckled lightly and increased his speed, pulling ahead of the miniature car easily. He weaved around it, taking a moment to look one last time at the family. He looked forward again and noticed a new interesting vehicle. He came alongside the large orange truck with a motorcycle in its back compartment, a nostalgic smile forming on his face. The ghost flew a little higher so he could touch down lightly inside the carriage.

He bent over and inspected the bike critically, unconcerned that the truck he was inside was driving over fifty miles an hour. He ran a hand over the bike's body, admiring its sleek build and the power residing within it. He wasn't a motorcycle expert, but he'd known Johnny long enough to know a good bike when he saw one. If only the colors were black and green…

The truck jerked to a stop and the truck's momentum threw the ghost forward with a surprised gasp. He fell to the truck's bed floor and grunted, his face screwing up in stunned pain. The stop had come out of nowhere and Phantom was thoroughly confused. He felt his invisibility slipping as a result and quickly struggled to regain his control.

When he felt adequately hidden again, he lifted himself on his elbows, but winced when the raised grooves of the truck bed dug into his wound and sent a wave of pain up his arm. He glared in annoyance down at the troublesome truck before he placed his hands beneath him and lifted himself into a crouch, warily glancing around to see why the truck had suddenly stopped. His frown deepened when he saw that the truck wasn't the only one taking a break. The whole right lane of the road was at a standstill. However, the left side continued to drive in the opposite direction, undisturbed with the right's inaction.

Phantom crawled over to the edge of the truck and cautiously leaned over the rim, trying to see what the problem was. He desperately hoped the Hunters hadn't caught on to his little 'game' and decided to stop the traffic so they could catch him…

But that didn't seem to be the case. At least, he didn't think so. In front of the truck, another road intersected the road Phantom was following, but unlike his side, its traffic was still driving without any pause. Above the intersection, a black rectangle hung on a thin wire. Currently, a red light shone above two dulled circles.

Phantom frowned at it and leaned further over the edge, now hanging precariously over the rim. He had seen that thing before. Somewhere on Clockwork's screen…But what was it for? Was it the reason for the sudden stop?

The red light suddenly dimmed and the bottom circle began glowing green. Before Phantom could react, the truck jerked forward again. The ghost gasped and lost his balance for the second time. His hands slipped on the slippery metal and he tumbled out of the truck completely, falling to the asphalt below. An unfamiliar instinct activated within him, making Phantom's hands quickly reach out to catch himself.

He landed on the road at an awkward angle, his head hitting the pavement—not as hard as he would have if his body hadn't reacted the way it did, but hard enough to make lights flash in his vision and leave him feeling disoriented. His invisibility control was completely lost as a result, but he hardly noticed.

Phantom groaned and pressed his hand against his aching skull, hoping to alleviate the pressure somehow. He stood up, wobbling a little on his unsteady legs. Gravity was most definitely not his friend at the moment.

A loud, drawn-out honking noise shook Phantom out of his own little world and he snapped his head up to see what was making the racket. His eyes grew wide and another gasp escaped his lips. He took a step back, but his feet weren't going to save him from the semi truck looming over him.

* * *

**Cliffhanger? I'd never! No this isn't a cliffhanger; this is just a suspenseful ending that leaves you hanging and wanting more...Alright, so maybe it is. I'll try not to leave you hangin on the cliff for long. I've got to update GZE now, though. THey have a cliffhanger too...I am not cliffhanger obsessed either! **

**I meant to edit a bit more, but for some weird reason, my page is messing up. I may change things later. I'm sorry. I hope you enjoy how it is now, though. **

**Until next time! Au revoir! (I took French I last year)**


	22. Misadventures of a Lone Phantom

**I have a sudden urge to hide behind a virtual couch...**

******Sorry, Sorry, so sorry :( I've actually had this done since July-but I forgot all about it. Repeat sorry five times. ****The document manager thing is messing up my spaces now too. *Sighs* This is punishment for terrible updating, isn't it? It's mad at me for not uploading in forever... ;D**

**I'll reply to the reviews in a bit-tomorrow or in a few hours. I can't right now. My litte brother wants me to play with him and his new toys-it's his birthday ^-^**

**dragondancer123 seriously helped me out with this chapter. Like, seriously helped me out. My knowledge of physics was seriously lacking. And did you know, roller coasters don't actually have engines? Never would have thought that. XD**

******I don't own Danny Phantom. Enjoy :D**

* * *

Chapter 19  
Misadventures of a Lone Phantom

Danny gasped, his fork slipping from suddenly nerveless fingers. It clattered on his plate, creating a small tinkling sound. The girls who had previously been arguing snapped their attention back to him. Danny wished he could reassure them he was fine, but the ringing in his head had other plans. He groaned and clutched it, confused and wishing the phantom pain would go away.

"Danny?" Sam asked, leaning towards him across the table. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," Danny stuttered out, "I'm fi-" Fear, deep irrational fear consumed Danny. His breath left him and he imagined he was miles away, staring at two bright lights. He vaguely heard Valerie call his name, but he couldn't be bothered to answer, too focused on staring in a seemingly random direction. Only one person could install such fear in him when there was nothing to be afraid of.

"_Phantom!"_

* * *

Phantom stood frozen in the large truck's way, unable to move. He knew he should, but he couldn't get his mind to form the necessary orders, let alone get his body to react and get him out of harm's way. He was paralyzed, unable to even breathe.

The semi truck was closer now, blocking Phantom's field of vision so all he could see were the truck's two headlights and large metal grill…

"_Phantom!"_

Air filled its way into his lungs again and Phantom's brain snapped into overdrive. With a speed that would have made Clockwork proud of its efficiency, Phantom dove for the ground, trying to make himself as small as possible. He triggered his intangibility just as the semi truck passed overhead. Loud roaring filled his ears, blocking everything else, even his own thoughts.

Phantom cringed, pushing himself flatter against the pavement. It only took a few seconds, but it felt like longer before the truck finally passed over him. Phantom immediately flew upwards, desperate to get away from traffic. He didn't get far before another large car rushed towards him at high speeds.

He gasped and quickly swerved to the right. He was about to angle his flight upwards again when another truck honked from behind him. Phantom glanced back and barely managed to twist out of its way. The truck grazed passed him, buffeting him with a rush of air and sending him back to the left side of the road. A car rammed him with its windshield before he could move out of the way and he tumbled over its roof. He managed to catch himself, floating a foot above the road.

Another honk, another car, but Phantom was too disoriented to do more than curl up into a floating ball and hope his attempts at intangibility were successful.

Tires screeched across the pavement and the smell of burning rubber reached Phantom's nose. The sound of metal colliding and horns blaring assaulted his ears. He opened his eyes again. A car's front was just an inch away from touching his nose.

Phantom landed harshly on his knees and stared in a daze at the bumper and headlights, gasping for air.

"Oh my goodness! Are you alright?"

Phantom blinked and looked up at the middle-aged woman standing over him. She wore a large hat on her head that the ghost halfa couldn't take his eyes off of.

"Oh, you're bleeding!" the large-hat-wearing-woman exclaimed.

She pulled a tissue from a pocket and knelt down beside him, unconcerned with the wet asphalt dirtying her pants. She reached for Phantom's face, but he flinched away from her touch. She frowned and tried to grip Phantom's chin again, but the ghost scooted away. His back bumped into a pair of legs, ones he couldn't push through. He warily glanced up, keeping one eye on the woman.

"Shut up!" the man above him was yelling. Phantom flinched before he realized he wasn't yelling at him. "This kid just got ran over by a car! Stop your beeping and be useful for a change!"

"Honey."

Phantom returned his attention to the hat-woman, thankful she stopped trying to touch him. She didn't seem to be speaking to Phantom, though her eyes watched him carefully.

"He's pretty shaken," she said softly to the man. "He might be in shock."

The man knelt down and Phantom found himself too close to him. The ghost was about to crawl away when the man hooked his arms underneath his knees and around his shoulders, lifting him. Phantom gasped and struggled against the man's hold, but the human ignored his attempts. He sat the ghost on the hood of the car and held him there until Phantom stopped moving.

It was only then he noticed there were more than two people hovering over him. He counted at least four, and that didn't include the people he could hear shouting from behind the car.

"Sweetie," the woman with the large hat cooed, leaning towards Phantom. "How do you feel?"

Phantom moved away from her. "Um…"

"_Phantom? Phantom! Are you alright?"_

_Who…oh, Danny! _Phantom's thoughts felt sluggish and he couldn't place the name at first.

"_Of course it's Danny, who else would be in your head? What the hell happened, Phantom?"_

Phantom hummed aloud, forcing his mind to think. "Uh, there was a car…"

The four humans looked at each other worriedly, but Phantom didn't notice. "Think he busted his head?" someone whispered.

"_A car?" _Danny exclaimed. _"I thought I told you to be careful!"_

Phantom groaned and rubbed his stomach. "I don't feel so good…" The humans quickly stepped back.

"Hold on, kid," a man with a funny mustache said reassuringly. "An ambulance should be on its way now." He sighed. "And probably the police too. The road is a mess…but don't worry, we'll take care of you until help arrives." The man reached out a hand to pat the ghost on the shoulder.

"_I'll be there in a few minutes."_

"No, stay away!" Phantom shouted.

The man pulled his hand back, a surprised look on his face.

"_Phantom—"_

"I'm fine!" When the humans gave him a dubious look, he forced a smile on his face and repeated more kindly, "I'm fine." He closed the link between his and Danny's mind so he could focus on the living beings in front of him.

"You are _not_ fine," a dark skinned woman disagreed. "You were just hit by a car going over fifty miles an hour!"

"I'm alright," Phantom insisted. He tried to stand up, but a dizzy spell overcame him. He sat back on the hood, pressing a hand to his head. "…I just need to sit for a moment, that's all."

The two girls sighed in frustration and the men chuckled lightly. Phantom hesitantly smiled back at them.

"Thanks for, uh, you know, stopping," he said slowly.

"Well of course we stopped!" the hat-woman exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. "Why wouldn't we?"

Phantom rubbed his neck and shrugged. It was pretty clear now they didn't realize he was really a ghost. If they knew what he was, they wouldn't be this nice to him, right? He'd have to tell Danny the hat actually worked the next time he saw him…or spoke to him.

Something warm and cold slid down his face, next to his eye. The ghost frowned and touched the substance. When he pulled his hand back, it was covered in reddish-green blood. Phantom gasped and quickly covered the ecto-blood trail, hoping the humans wouldn't question the green ooze.

However, the humans in front of him were now yelling at the angry people behind the car, and were pretty much disregarding the injured halfa. Phantom sighed in relief. No questions were good questions, especially in his case.

Phantom faded from the visible spectrum while the humans were distracted. He felt bad, but if he stayed around, they might find out his secret—and then things would get ten times worse…for everyone. He floated off the car and into the sky, only stopping his ascent when he felt safe from other fast moving vehicles. He looked down at the road and cringed.

The car that had stopped so suddenly to avoid running him over was in front of a long procession of stalled vehicles. The front car was fine, but the one right after it had been rammed from behind by a truck. It wasn't a serious collision, but still looked bad. The vehicles behind it had stopped in time and were now honking their horns impatiently.

Phantom sighed. He'd learned his lesson.

Only play with traffic when you're intangible.

* * *

Phantom landed on an eagle statue outside a hole-littered building called City Hall, according to the burnt sign. Holes and burnt grass covered the whole lawn, in fact.

Phantom frowned at the destruction. Sam and Danny wanted him to fight the ghosts causing all the trouble because the hunters weren't able to adequately defend the town themselves. He was _supposed_ to be considering the idea.

Phantom rolled his eyes. _If the hunters can't do it, then I sure as hell can't protect the town._

The ghost brought his right arm up to eye level, searching the bandage for any sign of the wound reopening. Jazz had said that morning—while Danny was busy taking a shower—the wound had scabbed nicely, and as long as Phantom didn't do anything strenuous, it should be just fine by noon.

It was past noon, but somehow, Phantom had a feeling being hit by a car counted as 'strenuous'. Unwrapping the bandages himself to find out, however, wasn't an appealing thought. He would let Jazz check it later that night.

Phantom sighed and laid across the stone eagle's spread wings, placing his left hand beneath his head.

After the car had rammed him, the ghost felt dazed and sluggish. His body hurt _everywhere_and couldn't seem to move properly. A few minutes later, while he was flying around, he felt fine—as if nothing had hit him with a force greater than Cujo's tackle-and-lick moments. Even the cut on his head had healed.

He supposed this was fast healing for humans, but a normal ghost would have been fine five minutes after impact. Phantom was at another disadvantage against other ghosts—

_Which doesn't matter, _he reminded himself, _because I'm not going to fight them anyway!_

Danny's mind must be affecting him if even his subconscious was considering fighting…

"Mreow."

Phantom's eyes snapped open. He quickly sat up and looked down at the ground. Golden eyes stared into his own for a moment before both pairs narrowed.

The cat's ears went back and its tail thrashed wildly. It opened its mouth and—

_How dare that little fur-ball hiss at me!_ Phantom thought. The ghost's eyes glowed as he hissed right back at it.

* * *

"Except for a colder than usual temperature, you seem perfectly healthy, Mr. Fenton," the nurse said kindly.

_I'm just lucky my arm finally healed._ Danny forced a smile."Thanks. I told them I was fine, but—"

"Now, don't go begrudging those two girls for being worried about you," she interrupted, giving him a playfully stern look. "They were just concerned. By what they explained to me, I would be too." She raised an eyebrow. "Do you mind telling me why you had a spasm and fell out of your chair?"

Danny rubbed his neck and laughed nervously. "Um, it, uh, wasn't really a _spasm_. It was more like a 'holy crap, I've just been struck by lightning and hit by a car! Better hit the deck!' sort of thing."

The nurse raised a thin blonde eyebrow. "Uh-huh. And why did this reaction suddenly occur?"

"I…uh…j-just remembered I had a test for sixth period test I hadn't studied for! Yeah, that's it!"

The nurse sighed and began writing a pass. "Well, if you don't want to tell me, I can't force you. You can go—"

Danny snatched the pass from her hand and ran out of the room, calling over his shoulder, "Thanks! Bye!"

* * *

One stupid cat stuck up a tree later, Phantom flew across the city, searching for something interesting to do. He didn't know what the human world had to offer, but there had to be something. Ghosts visited everyday to try to take it over, after all.

Casper High came into view and Phantom almost changed direction, but a sudden, wild thought occurred to him.

With a mischievous smirk on his face, the ghost flew into Casper High.

* * *

Danny paused in the hallway and searched for his errant ghost. He could sense him close by, and if that didn't spell trouble, the feeling of mischievous anticipation making its way across their link did.

"_Phantom," _Danny thought, hoping it would reach the ghost, _"whatever you're planning, don't do it!"_

"_But doing nothing is so boring, Danny,"_ Phantom complained playfully.

"_Phantom, I mean it! You could get in a lot of trouble."_

"_Trouble is Fun's best friend."_

Danny groaned. _"Phantom, don't—"_

The classroom to Danny's right suddenly erupted with screams. The ghost alarm began blaring as the students ran out of their classroom, lead by their teacher. Other students rushed out of their classrooms, screaming at the tops of their lungs as they all raced to get out of the school.

As soon as they passed him, Danny peeked inside the 'haunted' classroom. Chairs and desks were knocked over in the teens' eagerness to get out of the room and even some windows were shattered, as if some students had thought to use a different escape route.

On the blackboard was written in sharp, spooky lines: _"BEWAAARE…"_

"_Nice, Phantom,"_ Danny thought sarcastically. _"Nice. You just cleared a whole building using nothing but a cliché."_

The ghost's response was a disembodied laugh.

* * *

Phantom fled the school before Danny could think of a punishment. He was sure to get chewed out once he returned to Danny's room, though, so he planned to spend the rest of the day outside and away from his angry human half.

Really, Phantom hadn't thought his little prank would cause such a panic. It was a minor trick compared to some other pranks ghosts have invented, but then, this was a haunted town. Maybe it was to be expected.

Later, he'd try to condition them so they didn't jump at the sight of a piece of chalk floating in midair. It wasn't fun for him if they scared themselves so easily. He didn't necessarily want to see them _terrifie__d_. What he wanted was a reaction of some kind. Good, bad, happy, angry, surprised, amused, or even admiration. He wanted to feel like he was _there_ and they knew it.

It was ghost thing. Humans wouldn't understand.

"Hold it, ghost!" A pink ecto-beam shot over Phantom's head, missing by a centimeter.

Phantom ducked his head on reflex. He spun around to face his attacker, finding the Red Huntress on her hover board. She slowed the board down, but didn't take her gun off Phantom. Below them, the students cheered their heroine on, shouting praise and confessions of love.

Phantom smirked, though she couldn't see it since he was invisible. "You've got quite a fan base, eh?"

Valerie responded by shooting at him. Phantom gasped and barely avoided the beam.

"_Her helmet let's her see you even though you're invisible, Phantom,"_Danny warned.

There goes his advantage. _"I noticed. Any way to fight it?"_

"…_Get within three feet, but you'll probably be shot before you get closer than seven." _His human paused then continued, _"If you had listened to me in the _first_ place, you wouldn't be in this mess."_

"_I was _bored_!"_

"I warned you, ghost," Valerie was saying. "Get out of this town or you'll regret it."

"And I warned you, Valerie," Phantom shot back. "I'm not going anywhere."

"We'll see about that." Her weapon hummed with contained energy.

"Gah!" Phantom turned tail and flew away as fast as ghostly possible. The ray was shot where his chest had just been. Phantom didn't get the chance to pat himself on the back before Valerie shot a volley of ecto-beams after him. Phantom became intangible so most of them went right through him.

He quickly hid behind a tree, panting for breath. The barrage of ecto-beams halted and the sound of Valerie's hover board could be heard behind him.

"What's the matter, ghost?" she taunted. "Afraid of the big bad huntress?"

Phantom sucked in a lungful of air and retorted, "Hardly. Didn't we discuss the name calling thing, though?" He filled his lungs again. _Dang that's annoying, _he thought. "My name is _Phantom_."

Valerie shot a warning shot at the tree. "I don't care about your name, ghost." The girl paused. "Where's your cape?"

Phantom scowled. "Cape this, cape that! It's just a cape, you stupid humans. Why should you care?"

"You're right, I shouldn't." Valerie suddenly appeared on Phantom's side of the tree, her gun raised and aimed at his chest.

"_Her suit allows her to become invisible for about five seconds."_

"Now_ you tell me!"_

"Say good bye, ghost," the Red Huntress advised smugly.

Light filled the gun's barrel and shot towards Phantom. The ghost gasped and instinctively sunk through the tree, falling out the other side. The blast hit the tree just as Phantom landed on his butt behind it. Valerie cursed and flew around the tree, only to see Phantom wave cheekily at her and sink into the ground.

* * *

"That was close," Phantom said to himself. "Better get the full repertoire of her suit's powers from Danny before he 'forgets' anymore." He suspected Danny withheld the information to get back at him for the chalkboard incident…

He looked down at the city below him, wondering what to do next. According to Danny, the students had been let out of school early because of Phantom's little stunt—he still couldn't see what the big deal was—so Valerie was on the hunt for him, free from her studies. As a result, he couldn't do anything truly entertaining, which limited Phantom's list of things to do.

He could do what the other ghosts did and antagonize the hunters. But even now, after all that's happened, he couldn't see the appeal of terrorizing the city and fighting the hunters—not that he could last more than five minutes. The thought of making the humans scream for real made his stomach contract and his mouth dry, anyway.

He could go hang out with Danny…but his human's temper couldn't be trusted at the moment.

Visit the park?

_No…too much nature._

See if the cat was still stuck up the tree?

_Amusing, but not very entertaining._

Challenge the clouds again?

Phantom glanced up at the dark sky and shook his head, not bothering to answer himself.

Investigate the music and lights?

_Music and lights?_

Phantom looked down and tilted his head to the side. Beneath him was what Clockwork had once called a fair, or theme park. It was on the pier, just at the city's edge. He had always wondered what one was like…but could he really participate?

_Well, the humans on the road thought I was human, maybe teenagers and bored fair workers will too. _Phantom smiled and nodded to himself. He checked to make sure his hat was securely covering his hair, then dived for the theme park.

* * *

Billy kept a wary eye on his older brother as he ate his cotton candy. Their mother had made the older swear to look after Billy, but the little boy didn't trust his brother not to 'lose' him like the last time he'd 'lost' him at the mall.

His brother barely paid any attention to him anyway. He was too busy talking to his friends. Apparently, they had gotten out of school early too because a ghost attacked a classroom. Billy's brother complained about missing all the excitement and Billy rolled his eyes. His brother screamed like a little girl whenever Billy draped a sheet over himself and said, "Boo."

Wind blew over Billy, pulling his hair towards a tent. He looked in that direction, just in time to see a teenage boy walk out from behind the tent. He wore a black hat over his head and his green eyes shined as they stared into Billy's own.

The teen winked at him. Billy gasped and almost dropped his cotton candy.

"G-ghost," Billy stuttered.

His older brother rolled his eyes and laughed, claiming his little brother couldn't handle '_scary'_ stories about ghost attacks.

* * *

Phantom smiled in excitement, staring up at the rides towering above him. Being a ghost, heights weren't that impressive. The thought of letting something else do the flying, however, was an interesting idea.

But how did he get on one? It's not like he had money to buy tickets or whatever.

"Hey you!"

Phantom blinked at the man standing behind a booth in front of a…Clockwork called it a _roller coaster_. "Uh…"

"Are you getting on or not?" the man demanded impatiently.

"Um…I want to, but…"

"Then get on already!" The man turned his back on Phantom, mumbling something about annoying kids giving him headaches.

Phantom raised an eyebrow and gazed at the path leading up to the coaster's platform. He hesitated a moment before he walked up the plank, smiling again. _What was that cliché? Never look a gift horse in the mouth?_

If the ghost halfa had looked behind him at that moment, he would have seen a familiar looking ghost with a staff leave the worker's body. The man blinked and looked around in confusion before shrugging it off.

Phantom paused on the platform. Teenagers about his age sat in the cars, joking with each other as they waited for the ride to start moving. The ghost felt his chest tighten and he was suddenly stricken with a wish for Danny's presence.

Phantom shook it off and sat behind a group of teenagers.

"Man, can you believe how lucky we are?" asked a broad shouldered teen Phantom vaguely recognized as a jock from Danny's school. "Two periods left of school, and we get out early because somebody decided to prank the chalkboard."

"You don't think it was a ghost?" his partner, a girl with long blonde hair asked.

"Nah," the guy replied. "A ghost would have done something more extreme. Like blow up the desks or something."

Phantom blinked. _Are they…talking about me?_

"What about the Red Huntress?" the teenager in front of them questioned. "She attacked a ghost just outside school."

"Maybe it was just hiding until the ghost alarms scared it away," the first guy suggested.

"Why would it hide?"

"Because the Huntress goes to our school, didn't you know that? Of course the ghost is afraid of her!"

"Maybe it was the ghost boy!" an accented voice exclaimed excitedly. "Maybe he visited the school to see me!"

Phantom frowned at the girl two seats in front of him. _She looks familiar…P something…_ He gasped and ducked behind the seats, but unfortunately, this brought attention to him.

"What's your problem?" the jock demanded, scowling down at the cowering teen.

"Um, nothing," Phantom said quickly, making his voice deeper in case Paulina heard.

The jock peered into Phantom's face. Phantom smiled nervously back at him, hoping he didn't think he was Danny. The human leaned closer. "Hey, are you wearing contacts?"

"Um…" _What are contacts? _"S-sure."

"Cool." The jock turned in his seat, facing forward again.

Phantom sighed, but before he could get too comfortable, another human sat in the seat beside him. He had a pale complexion and his eyes seemed naturally narrowed. It took him a moment, but Phantom remembered seeing the teen with Dash at school when the large blond had been beating up Danny.

The ghost frowned at him uneasily. This kid had urged Dash to beat Danny up, after all.

But teenage human just smiled. "Hi, I'm Kwan," he said, holding out his hand in the human's way of greeting…which meant he was expecting Phantom's name.

Phantom blinked. He warily grasped the larger hand. "Um…I'm—"

The bars suddenly lowered, closing the teenagers in. Phantom released the human's hand and looked around quickly, scanning for danger. Kwan grabbed the bar and gave Phantom a strange look. The car jerked forward and the ghost quickly followed his example.

The car slowly began to pull out of the platform and up the large incline of unstable looking metal supports.

The humans appeared excited, not worried or frightened. Phantom forced himself to relax too. This was part of the ride. Once they reached the top of the hill, they'd plunge downwards, turn sharply to the right, go up, down, turn, do a loop, and the only thing keeping them safe was the car they were in—which was made of flimsy metal Phantom could melt in his sleep.

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, _the ghost thought, his eyes wide and focused at the point where the roller coaster would peak. _I think I want off. _The tow chain latched onto the car, jostling the passengers as it pulled the car up. _Yup, I want off!_

"Hey, dude, relax," Kwan advised, frowning at the Phantom's white knuckled hands. "You'll bend the bars."

_I'll do more than just bend them… _Nevertheless, Phantom forced his hands to lighten their grip. Kwan was joking, but Phantom didn't think it was outside his abilities to bend the metal, especially if the darn things proved useless. The tracks became steeper and Phantom felt gravity push him into his barely cushioned seat.

_Oh great. Gravity plays a key role, doesn't it? I should have known._

"Is this your first time riding a roller coaster?" the persistently talkative human beside him asked.

_Nooo…I'm always this fantastically terrified when riding unstable human structures whose sole purpose is to give humans an adrenaline rush by making their lives flash before their eyes!_

"Relax."

_Say that one more time, human. One more time!_

"These things go through all kinds of tests to make sure they're secure. You're perfectly safe."

Phantom took his eyes off the tracks to give Kwan a dubious expression.

Kwan grinned widely, his eyes squinting shut. "No really! Roller coasters are awesome!" His eyes opened again, but they had a dreamy, spellbound sort of look to them. "The power of the engines as they pull us up, the swiftness of the car as it tackles the turns, the tracks leading up into the sky…" The human sighed lovingly.

Phantom scooted as far away from him as he could.

"Look, we're almost at the top!"

Phantom's eyes widened. Sure enough, the front of the roller coaster had crested the hill. Within seconds they would all plunge down Rusty Metal Lane. The ghost placed one hand on his head to keep his hat in place and his other hand tightened on the safety bars—he thought he heard it groan, but it could just be the roller coaster grinding against the rusted metal as the pulleys released the wheels…

_Oh boy—_

The car tipped over the edge. Humans and ghost screamed like maniacs as the car shot towards earth, bullet style. Wind buffeted them, pushing them into their seats and filling their cheeks with air. The car turned sharply right, throwing the passengers against its left side. Kwan crushed Phantom briefly before the coaster went up. It went back down a second later, earning more crazed screams. To the left, up, down, and up again, all at a speed rivaling the car that had rammed Phantom earlier.

The loop approached and the humans shrieked with delight.

"You humans are insane!" Phantom cried. The wind tore the words away before the humans could hear them.

"ISN'T THIS GREAT?" Kwan yelled, throwing his hands up like the other humans.

"NO!" Phantom shouted back, hugging the safety bar against his chest.

"YOU'VE GOT TO _RELAX_!"

Phantom gritted his teeth and held onto the bars like his half-life depended on it. He'd flown faster and seen scarier things, but there was something about the roller coaster that set his instincts on edge, and not in a pleasant way.

"COME ON! PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!"

Phantom shook his head wildly.

Kwan ignored his refusal. He seized Phantom's right hand and forced it into the air. Phantom gasped and tried to yank it back.

"WHOOHOO!" the crazy human shouted, still clutching the ghost's hand in the air.

Hesitantly, Phantom raised the other hand. Fear coursed through him, and he almost grabbed the bar again, but then the roller coaster raced through the loop. It was strange; when they headed up the loop, the ghost was first pressed into his seat. When they fell towards the ground, he became weightless. It reminded him of when he flew the same maneuver except this time; bars were keeping him from losing control and falling to the ground. It felt… reassuring almost. The terror was there, but it was exhilarating at the same time. The ghost had no control over where the coaster would go, and it felt good to hand something else the reins for once. Especially since the ghost didn't trust it not to kill them all.

The car came to a sudden stop before the next hill, halting Phantom's path to enlightenment. The humans whispered worriedly amongst themselves, searching the sky and ground below them.

Phantom raised an eyebrow. "What's going—" Phantom gasped, red smoke wafting from his mouth. He frowned at it, tilting his head to the side. _Where have a seen that before?_

"Hold it, spook!" Jack Fenton's voice rang out clearly across the theme park.

Phantom cringed. _They found me? But how? I wasn't doing any—_

"Yeah right, pops!"

_Wait, I know that voice. _Phantom twisted in his seat, looking behind and around him. _Which means the roller coaster stopped because…_

A shadow raced out of the roller coaster tracks beneath their car. Something-Phantom was sure it was the pulley system that had just latched onto their car-sizzled and sparked, and the next thing the passengers knew, they were whooshing up the hill at double their normal speed. The car raced over the hill, the momentum bringing the car down the tracks faster than was safe. The tracks ahead of them groaned and began to rust at an alarming rate. The humans' screaming became very real.

Phantom muttered choice curses he'd overhead the Observants use as he searched for a way to save them. He couldn't stop the ride or lift the passengers to safety. Both options were outside his limited capabilities.

"Hold on, kids!" Valerie's voice shouted, suddenly flying beside the out of control roller coaster car.

The humans cheered, relieved to see their heroine. Phantom groaned and repeatedly banged his head against the safety bar.

Before Valerie could do anything—and Phantom secretly questioned if she even could—a stray ecto-blast from a Fenton gun hit her hover board. The hunter and human passengers gasped when the hover board sputtered, short circuiting. Valerie managed to direct her board to fly forward a few more yards, earning her a crash landing in an inflatable boxing ring. The car hit the turn, something groaned then snapped underneath it, and the car flew off the tracks.

The humans screamed again, most calling for the Red Huntress to do something.

Phantom's head shot up from the bar, stricken by inspiration. Quickly, he grabbed his seat, closed his eyes, and sent his intangibility power throughout the bottom half of the car. It was difficult, but he knew he'd succeeded when he heard the humans' screaming turn to gasps of surprise and felt the rush of wind blowing up from below.

The humans and ghost landed on the blow up with Valerie, bouncing a little from the impact. A small hole popped and air began rushing out of the jumpy, allowing it to collapse around the wooden platform below. Phantom and Valerie managed to keep their balance on the deflating blow up and watched as the car crashed into empty fair ground.

The ex-passengers gaped at the destroyed car when they regained their composure, unable to believe their luck. Phantom couldn't see Valerie's face, but was sure she was frowning.

Phantom sighed noticeably and stood up, dusting imaginary dust off his clothes. "Hey, Kwan," he said to the human teenager sitting dumbly beside him, "I think the humans should test to make sure the ride is 'bad luck' proof, too."

Valerie stared at him until Phantom smirked back. She gasped and pointed at him. "You! _Again_!"

"You do know that's not how you're supposed to greet people, right?"

The ghost hunter drew her ecto-gun, aiming for Phantom's chest. "Don't move," she warned, "or you'll regret it."

Phantom tilted his head to the side. "You're the one who's grounded," he pointed out, gesturing to her dead hover board sticking out of the ground like a gravestone. "Why shouldn't _I_ move?"

"I—"

"Red!" Jack shouted. "The spook is heading your way!"

Valerie hesitated. Phantom looked over his shoulder. Johnny 13 was riding his motorcycle through the fairgrounds like it was a racetrack. Humans jumped out of his way, some seconds before they were ran over, but the ghost was heading towards the kids' section. The littler humans probably would have a harder time dodging.

Valerie cursed and ran to the edge. She turned to point at Phantom, saying, "If you hurt one person, I'll personally tear you apart."

Phantom scoffed, crossing his arms. "If I wanted them dead, I would have just let them crash and burn."

Valerie didn't bother responding. She jumped to the ground at least seven feet below, landing in a crouch. The humans gave Phantom a curious look, before they crawled over to the edge, watching anxiously. Phantom settled a few feet away from them, curious to see how Valerie would handle the dead biker.

The huntress knelt in Johnny's path, one knee drawn up and both arms raised, gun steady. Once the last human leaped out of the motorcycle's way, Valerie was given a clear shot. She squeezed the trigger, sending a blast of ectoplasm at the bike's front tire. Johnny turned the handle bars sharply, causing the bike to overbalance and tip over, but the bike avoided the blast by a hair.

"Watch it, girl!" he shouted, picking himself up. "No one hurts the Bike!"

Phantom rolled his eyes and he suspected Valerie did the same. The Fentons ran up from behind Johnny, weapons drawn. Maddie knelt on one knee and shot a glowing green net at Johnny, knocking the ghost over as it wrapped around him. Johnny grunted and began struggling against the bonds, but it was no use.

Ghost captured.

The humans broke out into cheering, throwing their arms up, clapping, the whole bit. The female hunters relaxed their stances only slightly, but Jack grinned and raised his gun triumphantly in the air, earning even louder cheering.

Phantom frowned, edging closer to the edge. He opened his mouth, hesitated, and shut it again. He didn't want to bring all three hunters' attention to himself, but the fight wasn't over.

Popcorn erupted from a popcorn machine, spraying the stunned admirers and hunters with popped kernels. The smaller Ferris wheel unhooked from its supports and rolled until it was stopped by the roller coaster tracks. Lights on both rides fizzled and popped, the broken glass raining down to the earth and some unfortunate humans. Lastly, a black shadow flew into the glowing wires of the net, snapping it to pieces and freeing Johnny. The shadow rose, smiling wickedly sharp teeth at the living.

The human civilians screamed and ran away from the loose ghosts.

"Shadow," Johnny said firmly, standing up. Shadow gave him an expectant look. It wasn't disappointed when its master pointed a finger at Valerie. "Attack!"

Shadow grinned and followed its orders, flying towards Valerie at top speed. The huntress retaliated by shooting, but the shade absorbed the blasts. Maddie attempted to capture Johnny again, but the bike—previously laying prone on the ground—picked itself up and raced toward its rider. Johnny jumped on it and sped away, narrowly missing the net. Jack shot at Shadow with his overlarge bazooka, but the shots that connected were absorbed as easily as Valerie's.

Shadow overtook Valerie's gun first. It short circuited and Valerie quickly dropped it as ecto-energy spilled onto her gloved hands. Shadow leaped from gun's corpse and into Valerie's helmet. Phantom couldn't see what was happening inside the head protector, but it didn't appear to be easy for Shadow to override the Fenton's anti-ghost code they must have set up to prevent overshadowing. Valerie grabbed her helmet and dropped to her knees, yelling rapid commands into the mouthpiece.

Maddie and Jack began to run toward her, but Johnny doubled back and began circling them on his bike.

"Hey now," the biker drawled, smiling cockily. "This is between Shadow and the lady."

Maddie growled and brought out a small stick—which became a very a large and glowing stick. She whacked Johnny off his bike, baseball style.

Jack tackled the motorcycle to the ground, and flashed his wife a grin. "Man, that was hot!" he shouted.

Maddie returned the grin then leveled the glowing stick—_Staff_, Phantom mentally corrected himself—at Johnny's throat and shouted, "Call it off!"

Johnny smirked up at her. "I—"

Shadow switched _something_ within the helmet 'on' and the thing began to emit a high-pitched noise. Everyone in the vicinity—ghost _and_ human—cringed and cried out, attempting to cover their ears. Some fell to the ground, screaming and doubled over. Maddie's staff slipped through her fingers, but Johnny was too busy rolling on his back in pain to escape.

Over the frequency, Phantom could hear Valerie screaming in pain, but her pain dulled in comparison to his own. With gritted teeth and glaring eyes, the ghost halfa flew off the inflatable and into Valerie's suit, determined to end the noise.

Shadow wasn't expecting a counterattack of the ghostly kind and its surprise made it easier for Phantom to confront it. They fought for control over the suit, but ultimately, it was the anti ghost system that shoved them both out. Valerie collapsed behind them, out cold after being subjected to the feedback at its source.

Phantom groaned and tried to pick himself up, but he'd barely managed to get his knees beneath him when Shadow knocked him over, holding him down by his wrists. The halfa struggled against the hold, but couldn't break free. He tilted his head back to see what his parents were doing, but was dismayed to find his dad knocked out—by the motorcycle, most likely. The darn thing had a mind of its own—and his mom struggling to free herself from one of her own nets.

Johnny walked towards Phantom and Shadow, his hands casually placed in his pockets. "Well, hey," he said lightly, "if it isn't Clockwork's little apprentice. Long time no see."

"Call your stupid shadow off, Johnny," Phantom growled. Shadow actually snarled back at him for the 'stupid' comment.

"Nah," Johnny denied, smiling smugly. "I don't think so. See, word in the Zone is that you're actually a halfa. Aragon came back with proof—a cape with blood _and_ ectoplasm on it."

Phantom scoffed. "That's not proof. Halfas don't have blood like that."

"Normally, no," Johnny agreed. He came to a halt a foot away from Phantom and squatted, bending his knees so he could stare down into Phantom's eyes. "But you're no longer just a _normal_ halfa, now are you? Rumor has it you got into an accident?"

Phantom scowled up at him. "Let me up, Johnny."

"That's the thing, kid." Johnny took his hands out of his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. "I can't do that. You see, if you're really a halfa, then you've been lying to us _real _ghosts all along." He suddenly glared down at Phantom, his care-free, indifferent attitude gone. "And we don't like being lied to, halfa."

Phantom glared back, defiance and anger in his eyes. He sunk into the ground, forcing Shadow to release him.

Johnny rolled his eyes and stood up again. "C'mon, Shadow. We have a town to terrorize." He turned around, but a sudden uppercut to his jaw made him fall back with a surprised cry.

Phantom landed on the ground before him, eyes blazing and hands clenched into fists at his side.

"_Hey, Danny?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Tell Sam I'm in."_

* * *

**Whoo, it was a long wait for a chapter long coming, huh? Sorry again. I'm going to try to make myself a schedule that'll hopefully get me back to more frequent updates. We'll see. It may be difficult because I'm also helping my mom's friend by babysittng two of her kids-every weekday for three hours. Sounds easy, but the two are twins who fight, like, every fifteen minutes! And every forty-five minutes they fight with my little brother. *Groans* And all three make me play _football _T.T **

**At any rate, today is said little brother's birthday. One of the things that made me determined to get this up today. So, wish him a happy B-Day!**

**I learned a lot from writing this chapter, even if the editing was hard :P**

**Thanks for reading! Leave a review, please :D**


	23. Misery Loves Company

***Crowd gasps***

**Haha, yup. _Finally_ updated this story. It's been so long, I actually lost track of their personalities ^_^' Whoops. But I think I found them...**

**This is the last time I reply to reviews inside a chapter for this story *wipes away a tear* Ah, nostalgia. From now on, I'll be PMing you guys.  
MaxRide101: **Lol, thanks! I'm glad you like it so much! I struggle a lot with description, so it's a relief to hear you say that! Haha, I did the same to my beta when I asked her to edit this one too, but total success to me for making you guys unable to leave the story! Muahaha. Seriously, it felt like the show? :D Yesh! *Blushes* thanks, I was really worried I'd gotten worse instead of better as this story progressed. I'm sorry I made you wait so long, but I hope you are still interested in this story :) Constructive criticism and fanart would be awesome!  
**JackieDanielStark: **You think that's bad, just look at this! It's literally been a year! *Groans* tell me about it, but I'm babysitting my two-year old nephew now instead - and the scary thing is I like him a _whole_ lot more, lol. I love Danny and Phantom's characters too, and I could probably make a whole chapter with just those two messing with each other! ...Oh wait, I already did that...lol. Wow, thank you! You've probably found better stories by now, but that's still really cool :D That's okay; I've never translated anything before, and I suck at reading other languages, but I imagine it's a hard process. Congratulations on converting your friend ;D Haha, I just recently converted my sister, but she'll only read DP fanfiction...  
**Spectral Ninja: **And probably even longer now! Heh, sorry. lol, I've never ridden a roller coaster (I get sick just _watching_ the Salt and Pepper Shaker :P ) but I _really_ want to. Haha, my beta and I nitpicked that part so much, so I'm glad you liked it so much. Made it worth it ;)  
**Kiomori: **lol, you're probably among the people gasping in shock XD Sorry it took so long. I loved last chapter! There was just so many fun scenes, and it was so fun allowing Phantom free reign ;D Danny probably didn't appreciate it, but I'm sure he was laughing on the inside. Yeah, I didn't think it'd be realistic for him to just suddenly decide he wants to protect the town. But his reason for fighting will affect his actions in the future, so watch out...Haha, thank you :D  
**Hyperpegasi: **lol, if you were still waiting for this story, you're probably doing back-flips right now :P XD Sorry I made you wait so long :(  
**Kiyi15: **Belated thank you from my brother ;) Oh well, Merry Christmas then! lol, I'm flattered :D It's been almost a year since I last updated; I hope you still don't mind...Nah, it may take a while sometimes, but I won't ever give up on this story. Personal motivation, as well as self-preservation - my beta has threatened me with her beta-bat if I even try to quit XD  
**Joanne1305: **I don't think they were very loud, and it probably wouldn't matter because not many people visit the library that early in the morning on a weekend...or at least, I don't think anybody does...  
**Likes2Laugh: **Today...practically a year since you asked...  
**Xejis: **I'm glad you have a membership now then :) Happy to hear it, and good luck with that story! Thanks :D Sorry I made you wait so long, but better than never, right? I'll keep your offer in mind :) Yes! Two hundredth reviewer! *sprinkles confetti on you* haha XD  
**1337kitsune: **See? I told you I'd update...eventually ;D lol, I'm hurt, yet flattered XD Another victim has succumb to my mad HL storytelling skillz! lol jk ;) Many seconds have passed...I hope you're still alright XD  
**Panduh-Fox-love: **haha, it's surprising how often I hear that, but it brings a smile to my face every time ;D Thanks! They will all find out eventually, but I know for sure Tucker and Sam won't find out about Phantom and Danny until the sequel. lol, I love Phantom too. It's all new to him, and he's just so curious about everything, writing him is just so much fun XD Thank you, and I'm glad you like how it's all going!  
**gothsamphan14: **Soon? No. But I did update. That counts, right? :)  
**Sapphireswimming: **I wish I could respond to all of your reviews, but that'd take too long, so just know I really appreciate them :) Thanks a ton! Haha, yeah, I think last chapter was my favorite one to write - though it was terrible to edit XP I knew nothing about roller coasters, so my beta had to correct a lot of inconsistencies. Still, I was really satisfied with how it turned out. And after finishing this this chapter, I'm really excited about what's going to come next XD  
**Ann-Stripes: **lol, it's alright - I thought the exact same thing when I wrote that chapter XD Poor Phantom would have had a heart-attack - and he doesn't even know what that is XD hahaha!  
**Danny Phantom Phanatic: **Hahaha! The story totally ensnared you! Muahaha! *Blushes* Thanks! I really changed your opinion huh? *Points to the angel one-shot* Yup, total opinion reworked XD *Blushes some more* I wouldn't go that far, but thank you! I can't read the earlier chapters because I keep wanting to change something, lol. Danny and Phantom interaction is scary fun to write! I want to do a chapter with only them interacting...but I already did that ;D I have an even worse cliffhanger for you here... Sorry, no fight with Johnny; I needed to time-skip it. But he will fight next chapter, promise ;D Oh snap, run! I did that with my mom before. One word: scary...Haha, thank you!  
**Alemantele: **lol, thank you :D I'm really worried about the characters in this story (particularly Danny and Phantom) so I'm glad to hear they're IC and interesting :) I don't think this chapter answers all of your questions, but I hope it satisfies you until next chapter when I give more answers. Thank you :D  
**Thanks so much you guys! I'm sorry I made you wait so long, and I hope you're all still interested in this story...**

**But yeah, this chapter was hard to write! I had to scrap the first draft and start all over in a different direction just to get it going again. But I think i like the way it turned out this time, though it feels like I'm missing something...Ah well, I hope you guys like it!**

**I don't own Danny Phantom. Thanks to dragondancer123 for beta'ing and sticking with me through the long wait. (Btw, Dragon, compared to the roller-coaster, everything is simple XD lol)**

**Okay, guys; enjoy the long awaited chapter! Brief time-skip, so tread carefully.**

* * *

Chapter 20  
Misery Loves Company

Phantom sat on the hardwood desk, muffling a moan of pain at the action. He pulled his leg up and hugged it against his chest. His most recent stomach wound ached at the pressure, but he ignored it. It was just a scratch, three inches long and less than half an inch deep. It would be halfway healed by the time Phantom met Jazz for their nightly sessions. There were more pressing injures; the ecto-burn on his shoulder and lower back, infected cut on his upper right leg, and newly sprained ankle on the same leg. He was glad he could fly, because walking on that leg was just downright painful

He could hear Danny grumbling something across their link, but it wasn't 'loud' enough for the ghost to understand. Like him, Phantom's human half was in school, but Danny was forced to attend lessons whereas Phantom got the 'honor' of waiting for Spectra to return to her classroom-turned-lair. Not only was the strange classroom cold and outlandish, it made Phantom shiver just thinking about the ghost that haunted it. He wished Spectra would return from whatever she was doing, but at the same time he wanted her to stay away.

What seemed like ages ago, Phantom remembered experiencing the exact same situation, back when he was Clockwork's messenger boy. He had been—and still was—terrified of Spectra. Spectra fed on doubts and insecurities, traits Phantom had in spades ever since he learned he was a halfa. The him of the past always trusted Clockwork to rescue him from a predicament involving her, but Phantom knew better now; knew he was alone.

He also knew he'd end up fighting Spectra and her assistant within the next hour.

Phantom sighed, wishing not for the first time he could rewind time like his mentor. If he had the power to turn back time, he'd go back to the day he'd agreed to help fight the ghosts invading Amity Park. Only two days had passed since then, and already he was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. His body hurt too much for him to sleep well at night, and every ghost that attacked seemed to hold a personal vendetta against him. He didn't even remember most of them!

The door to the classroom opened. Phantom sucked in a breath, and quickly activated his invisibility. His heart stopped—which was relieving and oddly scary. It started up again a second later, but what an odd sensation…

"Stupid Jazz." Danny limped into the classroom, and Phantom almost fell off the desk in shock. "There's nothing wrong with me! I'm—"

"_Danny_?"

Danny choked on a scream. His eyes snapped to the invisible halfa, and widened. "Phantom!" Danny threw himself against the door, slamming it shut. "What the—what are _you_ doing here?"

Phantom floated off the desk, dismissing his invisibility. "I could ask you the same question." His eyes narrowed. "We agreed I would hunt ghosts _alone_."

"Hey! You don't need to be rude—I remember!" Danny frowned. "Wait. You're hunting one now? Like, right now?"

"Yes." Phantom raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that why you came in here?"

Danny scowled. "No. I'm here because Jazz signed me up for counseling with Dr. Spectra. Something about post-traumatic stress disorder."

Phantom rocketed toward him, only stopping when they were inches apart. Danny gasped and jerked away from him, knocking the back of his head against the door. "You've been in therapy sessions with _Spectra_? Why didn't you _tell_ me?"

Danny shoved at his chest. "Dude, personal space bubble radiates to a foot!" Phantom allowed his human to push him back, but he kept his focused gaze locked on him. "And no, Phantom, I haven't. Today is my first day. Dr. Spectra convinced Jazz to sign me up, because apparently, I'm troubled." Danny wrinkled his brow. "Why? What's the matter?"

Phantom crossed his arms over his chest, chewing on his bottom lip. "Spectra's a ghost, Danny. A real nasty one, too."

Danny's eyes widened, but in interest rather than fear. "Really? I knew no one could be that cheerful!"

"This is serious, Danny!" Phantom paced a foot above the ground, ignoring Danny's pout. "Spectra feeds on depression, your doubts and fears. She drains the happiness right out of you, and uses it to make herself look young."

"That must be why everyone in school has been so depressed lately."

"Yeah, that's what led me here. Well, that and my…" Phantom made vague hand motions in front of his mouth.

"Ghost Sense?" Danny suggested.

Phantom raised an eyebrow, looking at him in surprise. "You've seen it?"

Danny shook his head. "No. I have one too. It looks kind of like…" He breathed out, and his warm breath instantly became visible in the frigid air. "…that."

Phantom grimaced. "I was wondering why she made the room so cold…She must have known about your…Ghost Sense, and lowered the temperature in here so you wouldn't notice it."

Danny frowned. "Wait, you mean she planned for me specifically? Why would she do that?"

The ghost halfa began pacing again. "She must have realized you were my human half. Human halfas are far more emotional than normal humans—you must be like a pot of honey to her."

"Or," Danny said with slightly narrowed eyes, "she was just trying to strike at my parents or Val through me."

Phantom rolled his eyes. "Yeah, alright, fine. Whatever. Point is you have to leave." He floated back to his perch on the desk. "Go back to class or something. Consider your appointment canceled."

Danny glared at him. He stepped further into the room, favoring his right leg. "Now hold on, Phantom. I know I agreed to stay out of it, but you can't just expect me to walk away and leave you to fight Spectra all by yourself! My parents and Valerie don't know about Spectra, so they won't be here in time to fight. Please, just this once, let me help!"

"I don't want you to get hurt, Danny," Phantom replied firmly.

"But I won't be! Look! I've gotten better at my powers!" Danny disappeared, and Phantom raised an impressed eyebrow. It had only been six days since the accident. Danny must have been practicing to be able to perform a whole body invisibility act on command. The human reappeared a minute later, smiling triumphantly. "See?"

Phantom shook his head. "That's nice, Danny, but control over your powers doesn't make you untouchable. I have far more powers than you, and I still get hurt. Speaking of which." He pointed to his human's right leg. "What happened?"

Danny froze, appearing stricken for a second. "Um, I sprained my ankle in gym today?"

Phantom cocked his head to the side. "Really? That's weird." He rubbed his own sprained ankle, grimacing a little in pain. He thought he obtained the sprain during the ghost fight that morning, but if Danny sprained his own ankle in gym, then Phantom must have received it from him.

Danny chuckled nervously, rubbing his neck. "Yeah…weird…" He cleared his throat. "So, uh, what's your plan? If you're going to face this ghost alone, you must have some sort of strategy, right?"

Phantom licked his lips. "Plan? Er, well, I was hoping to engage Spectra in a fight that would draw the Hunters' attention, and then they could finish her off…"

"Again?" Danny shook his head. "That won't work this time. Valerie will be the first one to find you, and she hates your guts—she'll automatically think you're attacking an innocent bystander. If Spectra can pretend to be human, she's a good actor, and she'll play the part to gain Valerie's sympathy."

"Well what else am I supposed to do?" Phantom shoved off the desk, and floated around, his hands twitching. "I can't take her on completely by myself—she'll have me drained and crying on the floor in no time!"

"_I_ could—"

"_No_."

Danny scowled. "Then I think you should use Spectra's class phone to call my parents' hotline."

Phantom gave him an incredulous look. "Our parents' what?"

"Ghost Emergency Hotline. It's like 911, but it's just Jazz's emergency cellphone. If somebody sees a ghost, they call the number. Jazz writes down the information and calms down the caller if they're panicked, and then she sends the details to Val and my parents' pagers. They rush out to the scene, ready to fight some ghosts."

"Just one problem, Danny. I'm not human."

Danny shrugged. "You don't have to be to make a phone call."

"But I don't know how to make a phone call."

"Then I'll make it for you."

Phantom shook his head. "No. No, I'll figure it out. You should get out of here."

"Come on, Phantom!" He limped toward the desk. "It's just a phone call. What are you afraid is going to happen? The phone will bite my ear off?"

Phantom glared right back. "No. This is Spectra's office, Danny. She could return any second, and I don't want you to be anywhere near her." Danny continued his slow walk toward the desk, as if he didn't hear him. Phantom growled and flew in front of his path, forcing him to stop. "I mean it, Danny! Get out!" He pointed a demanding finger at the door.

Danny scowled, and tried to walk around him, but Phantom grabbed his shoulders and spun him around. Danny let out a pained hissed, and pulled sharply away from him. "Dang it, Phantom! The phone call will take less than a minute!"

"And Spectra could be here in less than a minute! Out, Danny!"

"Phantom—"

"Out!"

Danny eyes glowed in anger, and Phantom felt his own eyes brighten in response. They continued to glare at each other, neither wanting to back down. Danny shifted on his sprained foot, and then winced from the pain…and something else. It tickled Phantom's mind at the end of their link, but Danny shoved it away before the ghost could grasp it.

Danny took a step back, lifting his chin defiantly. "Fine. But I—" He cut himself off, and ground his teeth together, looking frustrated.

"What?" Phantom demanded.

"Nothing. I just—" He shook his head, scowling. "Nothing." He pointed at the desk. "The hotline number is written on the emergency list by the phone. Have fun fighting ghosts."

Phantom pursed his lips. "I don't even want to do this, so how can I have fun?"

Danny frowned, upset about something. "Fine. Whatever." He turned on his uninjured heel, finally making his way toward the door.

"You might as well head home, Danny," Phantom called after him. "The school will probably close after this, and it will be safer if you just—"

Danny slammed the door shut.

The ghost scowled at the wood, crossing his arms over his chest. "Jerk."

Unbidden, his eyes traveled toward the 'phone'. He grimaced, but floated over to the device. He stared down at the black machine like it was an innocent-looking spider, and tried to remember all Clockwork had told him about it. But that was the problem. Ever since he learned about his treachery, all thoughts about Clockwork were meticulously shoved out of his mind as soon as they arrived. Just thinking about his ex-caretaker made him flinch.

He almost regretted rejecting Danny's offer to make the phone call, but more than he wanted to avoid the phone, he wanted Danny as far away from Spectra's clutches as possible. Which left the phone call to him—the boy who had never made a call in his life. Clockwork had given him instructions about how to use it, but…

Through Clockwork's viewing portal, he remembered seeing people hold the top piece of the phone against their ears, so that was the first step. He picked up the weird handle-looking object, and placed it against his ear.

'_The humans then press the 'talk' button, identifiable by either the word spelled out, or a picture of a phone. Once—'_

Phantom shook his head, shoving Clockwork's voice out of his mind. Nevertheless, he searched for the 'talk' button, and pressed it when he found it. Immediately, he heard a static-y drone issue from the speaker pressed against his ear. He hissed, and pulled the phone away, grimacing. Perhaps he was holding it wrong? He flipped the handle around and placed it against his face again. He no longer heard the drone—dial…something—but now the cord was at the top, dragging at the bit. The people he'd viewed never held it like that.

He sighed, and flipped the phone back around. He supposed it made sense that the part of the phone that droned and made noise was the part he was expected to hear things from. He hoped the dial-thing would go away soon. It was annoying.

'_Once you hear the dial tone, you press the numbered buttons in the sequence of the number you wish to call.'_

The halfa looked at the emergency contact list, and scrolled down the numbers. The office, the nurse's office, Amity Hospital, Police Station, Emergency Ghost—

"Found it!" Phantom almost began typing in the number, but he halted his finger centimeters above the buttons.

Was he seriously going to call the Hunters? Bring them to his location in the hopes they would attack Spectra rather than him? Phantom knew they hated him, but for the past two days, the Hunters had chosen to fight the other ghosts first. But as soon as they all defeated the intruder together, the humans turned on Phantom, their attacks and insults more ferocious than the last time they met on the battlefield.

One day, they were going to ignore the new ghost attacking the town. One day, they were going to reject Phantom's assistance, and turn on him without giving the other ghost a second glance. For all Phantom knew, that day could be today. Did he really want to tempt them? Was he ready to face his parents (and Vengeful Valerie, as he'd come to think of her) with Spectra and her sidekick playing merciless commentators?

Phantom chewed on his bottom lip for a few seconds, before pressing the first button. He couldn't face Spectra alone—it was worth the gamble.

"One," he read off as he pushed the soft button. He paused, frowning down at the dash symbol. Was he supposed to enter a dash after the number? He couldn't find a dash-button, so he shrugged and moved on. "Eight…one, one." The dial drone was gone, replaced by a beep every time he pressed a button. He almost preferred the drone. "Five, five, five, uh, four…seven…three…one…"

He heard a ring come through the earpiece three times and then a click and a voice he heard every night since he took up this odd job.

"_You've reached the Ghost Hotline; this is Jasmine Fenton, what's your ghostly emergency?" _

He smiled. Jazz sounded distracted, but Phantom wasn't surprised. She loved learning, so she was probably completely focused on her studies. "Hey, Jazz," he said into the mouthpiece.

"_Danny?"_ she asked, sounding a little less sidetracked.

"…No."

"…_PHANT—Er, I mean, what's your emergency, _stranger_?"_

Phantom rubbed the back of his neck, careful of the hat's lid hiding the black hairs. "I, uh, want to report a ghost sighting?"

"_Please describe the ghost, and where you last saw it,"_ Jazz said, trying to sound strictly professional. She was in school, so she probably had students watching her.

"Actually I think you know her, Jazz. She has horn-shaped red hair, portrays herself as a teen therapist, and her name is Penelope Spectra."

Jazz gasped, the sound static-like as it traveled through the speaker. _"Dr. Spectra? Are you sure?"_

Phantom nodded. "Yeah. She's famous among ha—ghosts in the Ghost Zone, because she feeds off of other people's misery to make herself look young and beautiful. She was a trained therapist before she died, so she knows just what to say to make a person feel miserable."

"_Oh no,"_ Jazz breathed shakily, "_I signed Danny up to—"_

"It's alright, Jazz," he said quickly. "I found him before Spectra did, and told him all about her. He's heading home now."

Jazz sighed in relief. _"Thank you. Do you know where Dr. Spectra is at the moment?"_

Phantom shook his head. "Not right at this moment, but she's expecting Danny, so she should return to her office very soon."

"_The Red Huntress will be there in a few minutes…Are you sure about this?"_

The ghost halfa closed his eyes. "Nope. But I'll help Valerie hold off Spectra until your parents arrive. I have a feeling she'll need the extra support."

"_Alright. Be careful, Phan—Stranger!"_

"Thanks, but one more thing, Jazz."

"_What is it?"_

Phantom chuckled weakly. "Uh, how do you end a phone call?"

"…_You place the handset back in the cradle like it was before you picked it up."_

"Oh. You mean like…" He set the phone back in the 'cradle'. He picked it back up a second later and then placed it against his ear again. "…like that?"

Static.

"Hello? Jazz?"

No answer.

"Jazz? How do I—" He gasped as a heat flash rushed through his body. A red wisp of smoke wafted from his mouth. "Uh, got to go, Jazz!" He dropped the phone into the cradle, and activated his invisibility seconds before the door slammed open. Acting on instinct rather than rational thought, he hid beneath the desk.

"Sorry for the lateness, Mr. Fenton," Spectra's too-cheerful voice said. "I hope you weren't too inconvenienced—" Phantom peeked over the desk. Spectra stood in the middle of the classroom, her bright smile slowly disappearing as she searched the room for a child that wasn't there. "Well, apparently, I'm not as late as I thought I was…"

Bertrand stepped out from behind Spectra, scanning the room suspiciously. "You're flirting with disaster by targeting that kid, Penelope. He's too close to the Hunters."

"Afraid of some weakling humans, Bertrand?" Spectra asked mockingly.

Bertrand's human disguise scoffed, bristling in offense. "Hardly. But you know your words and powers aren't as effective against full grown adults, especially buffoons like that Jack character. If the boy was on time and discovered something in our absence, then ran off to tell them—"

"He's a teenager, Bertrand," Spectra reminded him. She began walking toward the desk, and Phantom had to stomp on the urge to fly away. "Teenagers don't tell their parents anything, and since this particular teenager has certain secrets he wants to keep, he's even less likely to tattle."

"What about that hunter girl?" Bertrand persisted. "If he grows suspicious, he could tell her, and she could inform the adults."

Spectra waved a dismissive hand, and sat on the desk. Phantom instinctively recoiled away from her, bumping against the wheelie chair behind him. Bertrand's eyes jerked to his location. Phantom's breath caught as the ghost seemed to lock gazes with him.

"And it's for that very reason he won't tell her," Spectra continued, oblivious to Phantom's panic. "There's only one person he'd be willing to tell if he did manage to discover anything, and I sincerely hope he does…"

"The ghost half," Bertrand growled.

"Very good, Bertrand!" Spectra congratulated, clapping her hands together. "Ghost halfas aren't as desirable as the humans, but once you get both halves in the same room…" She licked her lips. "_Delicious_."

Bertrand shifted into a green cougar, and prowled toward the desk like a real jungle cat hunting its prey. Phantom cursed inside his head, and quickly crawled around the desk, keeping the wooden structure between him and the shape-shifter.

"The ghost halfa fancies himself as some sort of human protector now," Bertrand said as he poked his cat-head around the desk corner. Phantom leaned against the opposite edge's wall, trying to keep his breathing even and quiet. "Pitifully weak as all halfas are, but he's slippery. How do you plan to keep him in one place long enough to drain him?" The cougar sniffed the spot behind the desk where Phantom had just been.

"By threatening his living half, of course." Spectra raised an eyebrow at Bertrand's actions. "The accident may have changed the ghost's blood, but I highly doubt it made him _less_ dependent on his human. And without the old timer staring over our backs every five seconds, preying on the boy will be easier than ever!"

Bertrand's head appeared around the next corner, a foot away from Phantom's location. The halfa tried to stifle a gasp, but the cougar's ears swiveled toward the sound he wasn't able to smother. Phantom quickly and soundlessly glided away from the desk, leaving Bertrand to stare at the empty space. "I heard the boy changed his name again," he said, almost absently. The cougar sniffed the area. The halfa licked his lips, and floated next to the classroom wall as far away as possible. "Phantom, I believe it was."

"Phantom?" Spectra questioned, testing the name on her tongue. Phantom shuddered, and pressed his back against the wall. "…How unoriginal, but what else can you expect from a castoff?"

Phantom winced, but shoved the negative feeling away before it could take root and be used against him. Bertrand skulked toward the center of the room in zigzag patterns, his nose pressed against the floor. Phantom watched him, biting his lip each time it seemed the ghost was heading in his direction. At the moment, Bertrand was snuffling his way toward the door, but Phantom didn't dare relax.

Spectra scowled at her assistant. "What are you doing, Bertrand? Trying to track a mouse?"

"Sure." He circled back around toward the desk. "Let's go with that. An invisible ghost rat."

Spectra rolled her eyes and leaned back on her arm. "Why must you be so paranoid? It's unbecoming."

"One of us has to be."

"Perhaps, but you're going about it all wrong, darling. _Everybody_ knows ghosts have no real sense of smell."

Phantom raised an eyebrow. He'd forgotten about that. He'd gotten so used to smells and breathing, he found it hard to remember a time when he couldn't. Only certain strong scents could be processed by a ghost's dead nostrils. He would have slapped his forehead, but didn't dare because a ghost's ears were still operational.

Cougar-Bertrand sat on his haunches, a cat-like pout on his face. "Why must you ruin my fun? I know very well I can't smell, but does _he_? While putting on the act, I've been enhancing his fear and desperation—things I _can_ track."

Phantom's eyes widened. Before he could dissect that statement, his nose began to tickle, a warning sign he'd come to associate with a sneeze brought on by his cold that hadn't quite disappeared yet. _Oh, please no…_ Phantom thought anxiously. _Not now!_ He rubbed his nose, but the tingling sensation persisted.

"Oooh!" Spectra cooed. "You devious little shapeshifter! Where is—"

"Achoo!" The force of the sneeze sent him through the wall and into the next door's classroom. He halted his momentum a few feet from the wall. He sniffled, and rubbed his sore nose. He didn't hear anybody behind him, so this classroom was most likely deserted.

Phantom shook his head, and crouched into a fighting stance, allowing his invisibility to drop. Holding it for so long was taxing on his reserves, and he wasn't naive enough to assume the other ghosts hadn't heard his sneeze. And considering what the two had been discussing a second ago, invisibility wouldn't help him if they knew what to look for.

He stared at the blackboard on the wall, waiting anxiously for one of them come after him. A yawn built up inside him, but he squashed it down. He hadn't slept well last night, but that didn't give his human-body needs the right to betray him left and right! The clock above the board ticked off the seconds, and the halfa could hear the birds singing outside.

Phantom scowled, thinking, _If this is another cat and mouse mind game, I'm going to—_

"Hello, little mouse."

Phantom gasped, and quickly spun around. Without warning, Bertrand pounced on him, pushing them both through the wall and back into Spectra's office. The fall and Bertrand's weight knocked the air out of his lungs, forcing him to involuntary wheeze. The cougar stood on his chest, making it more difficult to breathe. The halfa stared into red pupil-less eyes three times smaller than his at that moment.

Bertrand smirked, his fangs flashing. "Look at what the cat dragged in!"

A feminine chuckle jerked Phantom's eyes toward the desk. Spectra floated toward them in her fiery ghost form, grinning gleefully. "I'd been hoping for your human self," she said brightly. She swooped down so she was hovering horizontally next to him, "but I'm sure your misery will satisfy me until the main dish arrives..."

Phantom cringed away from the black shadow-hand reaching toward him. "N-no!" he shouted, squirming beneath Bertrand's hold. "D-don't touch me!" He tried to turn intangible and melt through the floor, but Bertrand's claws stabbed his chest. He cried out in pain, losing his concentration.

"Aw," the cougar purred. "The little mouse is terrified."

"He must realize no one is going to come rescue him," Spectra said. "Nobody wants him around—even his own caretaker threw him away!"

"Th-that, that's not true!" Phantom protested. "Danny—"

"Is a human boy," Spectra interrupted. "One raised by ghost hunters. Do you honestly think he wants you—a _ghost_—anywhere near him?"

"He—He—" Phantom forced air into his compressed lungs. Danny had been growing more distant lately, but he thought that was his own fault. Every time he turned around, another ghost was attacking, and he was forced to abandon whatever activity he and his human half were doing. But even when Phantom wasn't fighting, Danny avoided him—didn't even let him touch him anymore. Perhaps…he didn't want Phantom near him…

Phantom saw a dark miasma start to emanate from his body, a manifestation of his negative feelings. The ghosts above him grinned maliciously, their eyes shining with hungry anticipation.

The halfa shied away from Spectra's nearing hand. "D-don't!" he cried. _Positive thoughts,_ he reminded himself. _You have to think positive!_

But what was there to be happy about? His caretaker had casted him aside with no remorse, his own parents were after him, and he didn't even know where he stood with Danny. Sam only cared about her precious campaign, and the people she wanted him to protect? Forget it. They hated him and they always would, no matter what he did. Nobody cared about him, so why should he?

Spectra's fingers passed through the cloud—

An emergency bell rang above them, jerking the three ghosts' attention upwards. "Ghost Alert!" a feminine voice blasted through the loudspeaker. Red lights flashed like police sirens over them. "Ghost Alert! Evacuation procedure advised." On the other side of the door, students ran passed the classroom, screaming in panic.

The miasma of negative energy flowed back into Phantom. Spectra cursed, and returned to her human form. "Play time's up, Bertrand!"

Bertrand glared down at Phantom. "I bet I know who's to blame," the cougar growled.

"We'll deal with him later," Spectra said firmly. She gathered a few folders from the desk, and then began walking toward the door at a fast pace. "We should make our escape while panic is still high."

"What about the rat?"

Spectra paused, and looked over her shoulder at Phantom. "…Leave the freak to the Hunters. He'll distract them—it's the only thing he's good for." Phantom flinched.

Bertrand returned angrily glowing eyes back on the halfa. "You'll pay for this," he vowed.

He swiped an unsheathed paw across Phantom's face, the force throwing the boy's head to the side. Phantom cried out in pain, and covered the gushing wound with his hand. Bertrand leapt off his chest, and chased after Spectra, leaving Phantom to curl on his side and nurse his physical and emotional aches.

* * *

Jazz's fellow classmates and teacher knew what a phone call with the Ghostbuster's theme song meant, and the fact they were waiting until _after_ she paged her parents and Val to demand answers spoke to her psychology-trained mind more than shouted questions could. They were all too accustomed to this sort of thing to behave like normal, frightened humans should. Jazz wasn't sure if their self-discipline was a good thing for their psyche or not, but it certainly helped her get the message out sooner.

But the second she flipped her cellphone shut, the class jumped to life.

"Which ghost is attacking?"

"How close is it to the school?"

"Tell the Red Huntress I said 'hi'!"

"Is that one ghost going to make an appearance again?"

About to answer her classmates, Jazz paused upon hearing the last question. She didn't catch the speaker, but the tone had been curious, and maybe…hopeful?

Jazz shook her head to clear. "In order; a new ghost impersonating a staff member, inside the walls, I'm sorry but I honestly don't think she'll care, and if the past two days are anything to go by, then most likely he will appear again."

Her words had the same effect as a stick prodding a beehive.

"_What_?"

"We have to get out of here!"

"Which staff member is it?"

"I bet it's that new lunch lady! Mystery meat isn't supposed to glow _green_! …Is it?"

"Yes! This means I'll get to see the Red Huntress in person!"

"Dude, what is _wrong_ with you?"

"Students!" Mr. Felucca shouted. "Calm yourselves! We have procedures for instances such as these. Miss Fenton, is there anything we should know before we run for our lives?"

"Yes. The ghost isn't aware we know what she is, so be as calm as you can when you leave the building. And, Mr. Felucca, I'll need you to stay behind for a few minutes."

Felucca's eyes widened in fear. "_Me_? Why me?"

Jazz gave her science teacher an incredulous look. "You're the only one authorized to trigger the ghost alert. I need you to wait a few minutes so Red can get close to the ghost without scaring it off."  
The short man laughed sheepishly. "Uh, yes, of course. That would be the logical thing to do." He cleared his throat. "The rest of you are dismissed, but please leave the building in a quiet and orderly manner so you don't draw the ghost's attention."

The students, who'd been noisily gathering their things and whispering loudly to each other, froze. One by one they exchanged wary looks. Sticking with the age-old instinct that there was safety in numbers, the class filed into the hallway together, eyeing the familiar surroundings like they were in a fog shrouded cemetery.

Jazz inclined her head to Mr. Felucca, and then followed her classmates out the door. Whereas her peers made a beeline for the nearest exit, Jazz took an indirect route that would take her to Danny's locker. She had noticed a rebellious streak begin to crop up in Danny's character, so she theorized he'd prolong heading to safety for the sake of contrariness, and her best chance of cutting him off was at his locker. Phantom said he sent Danny home, healthy and unharmed, but Jazz wanted to make sure her little brother was fine with her own eyes.

She cautiously peered around the first corner, and finding no one about—including a red-headed, peppy therapist—Jazz crept across the hallway containing Spectra's office. She heard voices inside the room, but anxiety overpowered curiosity, and she quickly left the classroom behind her. Once she was out of the room's vicinity, she ran to the next hallway, balancing on the balls of her feet so she'd make less noise. She ran through the hall, and turned right into the next one. There she slowed to a walk, breathing a sigh of relief. She hated when ghosts invaded her day-to-day environments.

The next turn in the hallway brought her to Danny's locker, and Jazz grinned, filled with triumph. Once again, her hypothesis was proven right, because there was Danny, standing at his locker—wait, why was he grimacing in pain? Danny had himself braced against the lockers with an arm, breathing deep. He placed a hand over his chest, but flinched and removed it a second later. Red coloring began to seep into the white material of his T-shirt.

Jazz gasped. She ran toward her little brother. "Danny!"

Danny jumped. "Jazz!" He yanked a black sweater out of the locker, and quickly jerked it on, experiencing a brief problem when slipping his left arm through the sleeve. "W-what are you doing here? I thought you were in class." His eyes refused to meet hers, but Jazz had a similar problem taking her eyes off his chest.

"I-I was," she stuttered, "but I got a call on the Hotline, and—What happened to your chest?" She shook her head. "Never mind." She grabbed his arm. "Come on, I'm driving you home. You can tell me while I bandage whatever it is."

Danny held onto his locker, resisting Jazz's pulling. "Jazz, I'm fine! It's just a cut I got from—" He cut off with a groan, and fell against the lockers. A colorless haze shrouded his body, and his eyes glazed over.

"Danny!" Jazz dropped his arm and placed a hand over his forehead. It felt cold; he wasn't experiencing a fever from the cut on his chest. But what—

"Ghost Alert!" the loudspeaker shrilled as red lights flashed over them. "Ghost Alert! Evacuation procedure advised." Students ran out of their classrooms, screaming their throats hoarse. The hallway Danny's locker was situated in wasn't close to any of the exits, so few students ran passed them after the first wave.

The colorless vapor vanished, and Danny's eyes regained their focus. He scowled, and slapped Jazz's hand away. "I told you I'm fine, Jazz," he said angrily. He yanked his backpack out of the locker, and then slammed the door shut with more force than necessary. "I'm meeting Sam at the Park, so I don't have time to go home."

Jazz's eyes narrowed at his tone. "I'm sure Sam would understand if you were a few minutes late for your date because you are hurt."

"It's not a date!" Danny objected. He unzipped his backpack, and showed Jazz the inside. Her eyes widened upon spotting rolls of gauze and bandages inside her little brother's backpack. "See? I can patch myself up—being as clumsy as I am, I've had a lot of practice." His voice was so full of self-disgust Jazz took a step back.

"You're not that clumsy, Danny," she said softly, reassuringly. What was wrong with her little brother? "Sure you've been breaking a lot of beakers lately, but your nerves are probably still a little shot from the accident."

Danny snorted, rolling his eyes. "Yeah. It's all the accident's fault..."

Jazz frowned. She opened her mouth to say not to be too hard on himself, but her eyes fell on his cheek, and her jaw dropped. Right before her eyes, a red gash took form on her brother's left cheek. It began close to his ear, and Jazz's eyes watched transfixed as it streaked to a stop slightly under his eye.

Danny hissed in pain, quickly covering the wound with his hand, but like all facial injuries the wound secreted a lot of blood, and the red liquid began to seep through his fingers. Jazz could see green liquid within the blood, and her analytical mind wondered why the two liquids didn't mix and discolor one another, while her protective instincts screamed over a gash _appearing out of nowhere on her brother's cheek._

Jazz grabbed Danny's left shoulder, ignoring her brother's startled gasp. "That's it, Danny. I'm taking you home, and we are telling Mom and Dad about—"

"No!" Danny knocked her hand off his shoulder, and took a couple steps back, glaring at her. "I'm _fine_! I don't need help! Not from you, not from Mom or Dad, not from Val, and not from some _stranger_ I barely know! I don't need help from anyone!"

Jazz shook her head and stepped towards him, but Danny took two more steps away from her. She glared at him. "I don't know what's gotten into you, little brother, but you're being irrational. Everybody needs somebody, and whether you want help or not, you will always have someone there who cares about your wellbeing, and—"

"Well I wish everybody would just _stop_ worrying about me! I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself you know, and all of you can just—just—" He screamed through his teeth in frustration. He spun on his heel and ran down the hallway, limping only slightly. "Just leave me alone!"

"Danny!" Jazz chased after him. Danny rounded a corner, but when Jazz followed him around the bend, he was nowhere in sight. Jazz searched the hall with her eyes, but there was no trace of her brother. She bit her lip. Something besides physical pain was at work here, and she needed to help her brother through whatever emotional stress he was experiencing before it began to eat at him from the inside.

* * *

**How was that? Sorry about the time-skip, but it needed to happen to further the story. This chapter was supposed to be longer, and include a fight scene, but it got to be too long. *Shrugs* Next time. *Is excited* I'm going to update my other stories one more time, but then I want to focus on finishing this. I only have like five or so chapters left, I think...It took me forever to find my muse, and I want to use it up before it disappears on me again ;)  
**

**I'm so mean to Danny and Phantom...but it's going to get worse before it gets better for them. Poor kids :P  
**

**I hope this chapter was worth the wait! Thanks for reading, and leave a review for my motivation! Just let me know if you're confused about something!**


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